Alleged “alien mermaid” filmed off the coast of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Pic credit: @domt627/TikTok
Footage purporting to show an “alien mermaid” sighted in waters off the coast of Puerto Rico caused excitement among alien and paranormal enthusiasts on TikTok earlier this week.
The footage uploaded to TikTok on Monday, June 19, shows a group of men on a small boat on the waters of the Atlantic just off the coast of Aguadilla in the northwest of Puerto Rico.
[Note: UFO enthusiasts refer to alleged underwater alien entities and crafts as Unidentified Submerged Objects (USOs).]
“Alien mermaid” footage
The strange footage shows a man filming the water around his boat at dusk, just near Crash Boat Beach. It is eerily dark, but we can see the ripples on the surface of deep blue sea water.
We hear men speaking Spanish as the videographer focuses his camera on a section of the gently heaving surface of the dark expanse of water.
The section of the water that the camera focuses on has a lighter hue of blue. The patch of water appears illuminated by rays of light reaching the surface from below.
As we watch the surface break in ripples, a mysteriously dark shape emerges, and the videographer speaks excitedly.
At first, we see an indistinctly wavy or undulating apparition. We can’t tell whether it is an optical effect or a marine creature swimming. But as the shape forms below the surface, it looks like a humanoid with a head, arms, and an elongated lower body.
The alleged creature appears to use long flipper-like arms and a fish-like lower body to propel itself upward in the water.
You may view the video here on TikTok and our take on it here.
Reactions on social media
The footage has received thousands of views on TikTok, with users sharing their opinions.
Many alien and UFO enthusiasts proclaimed it the latest piece of evidence that there are aliens, mermaids, and other paranormal phenomena lurking in the vast uncharted depths of the oceans. But other TikTokers were of a more skeptical bent of mind.
Some thought the form was an optical illusion, but others insisted it was a marine creature, probably a dolphin.
One user insisted that the video showed a marine creature, but the poor illumination distorted its shape, making it look like a mermaid.
Bioluminescent “alien mermaid”?
Many viewers wanted to know what caused the light blue color of the patch of water surrounding the “alien mermaid.”
Some users took the liberty to speculate that the “alien mermaid” had eyes like an automobile headlight. But one user informed other viewers that the light could be due to bioluminescence.
According to the National Ocean Service website, bioluminescence is a natural phenomenon common among deep-sea marine animals. It involves the production and emission of light.
According to the Smithsonian Institution, marine species that exhibit bioluminescence include bacteria, algae, jellyfish, worms, and some species of crustaceans and fish.
Crash Boat beach is popular night diving spot
It is also worth noting that Crash Boat beach is a very popular spot for night diving. The light looks a lot like those used by divers and the ‘creature’ could simply be a diver with flippers slightly distorted by the water.
Mermaids in folklore
Mermaids feature in the folklore of many cultures around the world.
According to Paranormal Papers, different cultures have different names for mermaids. The Xhosa and Zulu of South Africa call the mythical mermaid Mamlambo. She is a water spirit or goddess native to the Mzintlava River (Umzimvubu River) near Mount Ayliff township (eMaxesibeni) in the Eastern Cape Province.
In West Africa, the mermaid is Mami Wata (Mama of the Water). Mami Wata is a seductive creature bedecked in attractively shiny objects symbolizing the lure of lucre and the danger of preoccupation with material wealth.
Some versions of the lore about Morag, the resident cryptid in Loch Morar in the highlands of Scotland, identify it as a mermaid. She has the lower body of a fish and the upper body of an adult human female.