'Mermaids' riding quirky fashion wave

RIO DE JANEIRO - Davi Moreira looks like any other young Rio de Janeiro beach lover as he heads down to the Ipanema surf each week - at least until he dons his blue mermaid's tail.

Other bathers look on in astonishment as Moreira, 22, performs his weekly ritual. However, as part of a trend in Brazil and as far away as the Netherlands and Canada, he is far from alone.

"It's a lifestyle, a way of expressing my love and respect for the sea and this encounter between two worlds. When I'm in the water I feel like another person," he said while resting on rocks with his tail glittering in the sun.