Ever since seeing the movie “Splash” as a pre-pubescent teen, I’ve had a thing for mermaids. Not a creepy thing, just a thing. No different than my eternal crush on Molly Ringwald, the idea of paddling around and stumbling upon a mermaid at Sunset Cliffs would be thing of childhood fantasy. Even if said mermaid was a mannequin and perched atop a giant rock adorned in bird shit.
As captured by master photog K.C. Alfred, fantasy became reality post-Memorial Day weekend when a new, uhm, art installation — featuring a blue-haired Daryl Hannah-esque mermaid — appeared on top of Ross Rock off Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. Witnesses told local news that they saw several people using a rope ladder to hoist the mermaid up, as seen in the photo below.
Childhood fantasies aside, reactions to the blue-haired aquatic beauty have been mixed. In fact, a member of the Sunset Cliffs Advisory Council told KFMB it’s “graffiti,” and the city of San Diego needs to remove it immediately.
That being said, this is not the first time Bird Shit rock has been Cardiff Kooked anonymously. As reporting on Ocean Beach community website OB Rag, an illuminated peace sign appeared on the rock in 2008, along with a dinosaur statue and a replica of Stonehenge in the past. Hello, Cleveland.
Only in San Diego. A mermaid has appear on top of Ross Rock in Sunset Cliffs. pic.twitter.com/9cL6kX8Wmj
— K.C. Alfred (@KCAlfredPhoto) May 30, 2018