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Hello, my lovely sea squirts!

Since March 2025 I’ve taken up the activity of mermaiding with my favorite, local diving and freediving club. That’s about when the idea of having a mermaid name to go with my budding “mersona” (mermaid persona) came about.

I searched for a name in Hawaiian, Polynesian, or Maori, because those people have a strong and intimate relationship to the ocean. The AI Perplexity helped me in my searches. Finally, I settled on KAINOA. In Hawaiian, “KAI” is derived from “sea” or “ocean,” and “NOA” means freedom. Together, the name symbolizes the ocean’s vastness, resilience, and liberation —values I strongly identify with. It represents someone who lives in the present moment, and something new and refreshing. It thus has its origin in the vibrant and dynamic Hawaiian Island culture.

I also did a numerology search on KAINOA, for good measure, and added alignment:

• Tenderness, harmony, balance: as traits of character and inner strength (Name number (6) derived from all of the letters)
• The desire to succeed, especially in a practical yet unusual activity: the heart’s desire (Soul urge number (8) derived from the vowels)
• Good imagination in overcoming obstacles: describes the real value of the character (Personality number (7) derived from the consonants)

As a bonus, “NOA” also reflects a part of my name because in Noélie, there’s Noé, from Noah, and Elie, from Elija, both from the bible.

So, that’s how I’ve chosen with intention the values I want to embody in my life, and through my KAINOA mersona.

Onwards mates! Let’s advance ocean conservation together, one salty sea spray at a time. 🙂