🧜‍♀️🦈 MERMAIDS & SHARK TEETH — BEACH DAY! 🦈🧜‍♂️

📅 **Saturday, April 24, 2027** ⏰ **10:00 AM** 📍 **Manasota Key Beach — Englewood, FL** 🅿️ **FREE PARKING** Calling all mermaids, mermen, fossil hunters, beach lovers, and other creatures of the Gulf! 🌊🐚 Join us for a laid-back beach day at beautiful Manasota Key, where we'll spend the day swimming, soaking up the Florida sunshine, meeting new people, and searching the shoreline for prehistoric shark teeth. 🦈 Manasota Key is a fantastic place to hunt for fossilized shark teeth, so bring a sand sifter or shark-tooth scoop if you have one. No experience necessary — half the fun is seeing what you can uncover! The Venice–Manasota Key coastline is part of one of Florida's most famous fossil-hunting regions. In fact, nearby Venice is known as the **“Shark Tooth Capital of the World.”** Fossil-bearing geological deposits are exposed offshore, and waves, currents, storms, and erosion continually uncover ancient material and carry some of it toward the beaches. That means the little black or dark-brown tooth you pull out of your sifter may have belonged to a shark that was swimming through prehistoric seas **millions of years before humans existed.** 🤯 **🧜‍♀️ MERMAID TAILS ENCOURAGED!** If you own a mermaid or merman tail, this is your excuse to break it out! Tails are absolutely encouraged, but **definitely not required.** Come in a tail, swimsuit, board shorts, or whatever makes you happy. Since we're planning this well in advance, there's also plenty of time to acquire a tail if you've always secretly wanted one. 😉🧜‍♂️ **🏖️ WHAT TO BRING** ☀️ Beach gear, towels & sunscreen 💦 Plenty of drinking water 🥪 Snacks / lunch 🦈 Shark-tooth sifter or scoop, if you have one 🧜‍♀️ Mermaid/merman tail & monofin, if you have one 🍹 BYOB — please drink responsibly 😎 Your beach-day energy! **🌊🧜‍♀️ MERMAID TAIL & WATER SAFETY** **Please take this section seriously if you plan to swim in a mermaid tail.** Swimming with your legs enclosed in a tail and/or using a monofin is very different from ordinary swimming. Your legs cannot move independently, and swimming generally relies on a strong, controlled **dolphin kick**. **Only experienced, confident swimmers who are already comfortable with dolphin kick and monofin/tail swimming should swim in a mermaid tail in the Gulf.** If you've never used your tail before, **this event should not be your first attempt at swimming in one in open water.** Practice beforehand in a controlled environment, such as a pool, until you can confidently swim, float, surface, change direction, and quickly remove the tail/monofin if necessary. 🌊 Remember that this is the **Gulf of Mexico, not a swimming pool.** Conditions can change, and waves, currents, wind, marine life, water depth, visibility, fatigue, and other hazards may be present. For everyone's safety: 🧜‍♀️ **Never swim alone or away from the group in a tail.** Use a buddy system. 🏊 **Stay within your swimming ability and remain close to shore.** Don't venture into deeper water simply because you're wearing a tail. 🐬 **You should be proficient with dolphin kick before swimming in a monofin or tail.** ⚡ **Know how to get out of your equipment quickly.** You should be able to remove your tail/monofin without assistance if something goes wrong. 🌊 **Do not use a tail when water conditions are unsafe.** If waves, currents, weather, visibility, or other conditions make you uncomfortable, keep the tail on shore and enjoy it for photos instead. 🍹 **Do not swim in a mermaid tail or monofin while impaired by alcohol or anything else that affects your judgment, coordination, or swimming ability.** 🛟 If you are not a strong swimmer, **please do not swim in a mermaid tail.** You can still wear one on the beach, take photos, hunt for shark teeth, socialize, and enjoy the entire event without entering the water in it. **Participation in swimming and use of mermaid tails/monofins is entirely voluntary and at your own risk. Each attendee is responsible for evaluating their own swimming ability, equipment, health, and water conditions before entering the Gulf. Event organizers are not lifeguards and cannot guarantee water conditions or individual safety.** When in doubt, **leave the tail on shore.** We'd much rather have a happy land-mermaid than a mermaid in trouble! 🧜‍♀️❤️ **📍 WHERE TO FIND US** **Manasota Key Beach** 735–761 N Manasota Key Rd Englewood, FL 34223 **Parking is FREE** in the designated parking area. We'll set up **along the waterline between the restrooms and the large parking lot.** Check the event photos for a map showing our approximate location. 👀 **Look for the six-legged CYAN canopy/tent!** **👯 BRING FRIENDS!** You're absolutely welcome to bring friends along. The more mermaids, mermen, shark-tooth hunters, and beach people, the better! **⚠️ SAVE THE DATE** We're putting this event on the calendar very early, so **the date is subject to change** as we get closer. For now, save **Saturday, April 24** and st