Calling all mermen and women, there’s a swimming pool in North Carolina with your name on it. Frequented by “ a fun loving group of mermaids and mermen” called NC Merfolk, the association “swim together as a group three times a week”. They've also just staged their annual ‘Merfest’.

Shot by photographer Arthur Drooker, the images of Merfest are pretty awe-inspiring. This fun loving group of mermaids certainly look like they’re having a blast, with a couple who even look like they’re getting married in the water.

This year’s merfest apparently boasted 300 attendees, embodying their ‘mersonas’. Interestingly, there were only 10 men there, something the Merfest wants to address. According to Conventional Wisdom, NC Merfolk want to "increase awareness of the mermen community and the joy within."

As well as running workshops on breath holding and “underwater modeling”, wannabe merpeople had the chance to invest in a custom fitted silicon fluke (tail), for the price of $2700-$4000. Apparently, “When the tail goes on, the human side goes out the door”.

The photographs of Merfest are part of a photo series by Arthur Drooker that appear on Cool Hunting, entitled Conventional Wisdom. He's documented a variety of pockets of life, from Ventriloquists Conventions to Santa meet ups. The subcultural tendencies of attendees are celebrated rather than condemned, and we've picked out a few of the best shots below.