If you grew up in the mid-2000s, you probably spent an unhealthy amount of time checking your hand for scales every time a drop of water touched your skin. We all wanted to be Cleo, Emma, or Rikki. So, when Jonathan M. Shiff announced Mako Mermaids An H2O Adventure, the hype was real. But honestly? It wasn't exactly what most of us expected.
It's weird.
The show exists in this strange space where it's technically a sequel, kind of a spin-off, and definitely a tonal shift from the original H2O: Just Add Water. While the first series felt like a teen drama with a splash of magic, Mako Mermaids leaned hard into the high-fantasy lore of Mako Island. It swapped the "accidental mermaid" trope for a story about a "natural-born" pod.
For many, this was a hard pill to swallow. You’ve got Zac Blakely, a land boy who falls into the Moon Pool and accidentally steals the powers of a pod of mermaids. Suddenly, the girls who were supposed to be guarding the island—Sirena, Lyla, and Nixie—are outcasts. They have to get legs, go on land, and take his powers back. It flipped the script. Instead of girls trying to hide their secret from the world, it was about mermaids trying to understand a world they’d always looked down upon.
The Lore Shift That Changed Mako Island Forever
Let's talk about the Moon Pool. In the original series, it was a place of mystery. It was a natural phenomenon that changed three ordinary girls. In Mako Mermaids An H2O Adventure, the Moon Pool is basically a piece of ancient technology.
We find out it’s not just a magical bathtub. It’s part of a massive, underwater chamber created by mermen—wait, mermen? Yeah. That was the big reveal. For years, the H2O universe told us mermen didn't exist or were just legends. Then Zac shows up. Then we find out about the Merman Chamber. It’s a massive structure built to destroy or control mermaid magic.
This changed the stakes.
The conflict wasn't just about keeping a secret from a nosy classmate like Zane Bennett anymore. It became an ancient, gender-based war over the island’s power. Some fans loved the world-building. Others felt it made the magic feel less "magical" and more like a sci-fi plot point. Honestly, seeing a trident that can suck the life out of a mermaid was a lot darker than anything we saw Cleo deal with.
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The Problem With the "Mermen" Mystery
The introduction of mermen was controversial. In season one, Zac is the only one. He’s the anomaly. But as the show progresses, especially into the later seasons with characters like Erik, we realize the history of Mako is way more complicated.
Erik wasn't a "transformed" merman like Zac. He was a natural one. This raised a ton of questions that the show didn't always answer. Where were the other mermen? Why was the pod so afraid of them? The show hints at a history where mermen were predators or at least rivals for the island’s energy. It’s a bit of a departure from the "girls' club" vibe of the original series.
Cast Rotations and Why They Mattered
One thing that really frustrated the Mako Mermaids audience was the constant cast turnover.
In H2O, we had the core three for almost the entire run, with Bella stepping in for Emma in the final season. Mako Mermaids felt like a revolving door. Nixie and Lyla (played by Ivy Latimer and Lucy Fry) were huge parts of season one. They were the heart of the "fish out of water" comedy. Then, suddenly, they were gone.
The show explained it away by saying they were looking for a new home with the pod, but it felt jarring.
Then we got Ondina and Mimmi.
Ondina (Isabel Durant) brought a much-needed edge. She was stubborn, arrogant, and kind of a brat—which was great. It created actual friction within the group. Mimmi (Allie Bertram) was the "brains," a mermaid who studied spells and history. This duo eventually became the face of the show, but that initial shift made it hard for some viewers to stay invested. If you like a character, you want them to stay. Simple as that.
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The Legend of the Seventh Cycle
The show eventually reached its peak in terms of lore with the Dragon subplot. We’re talking about a literal Water Dragon that hunts mermaids.
This is where the show leaned fully into its "Adventure" subtitle. The Dragon wasn't just a monster; it was tied to Mimmi and Zac’s mother, Nerissa. This brought a level of family drama that the original series never touched. Zac finding out he was actually born a merman and was Mimmi’s long-lost brother? That’s peak teen soap opera territory.
It worked because it tied the "human" world and the "mermaid" world together permanently. Zac wasn't just a guy with a tail; he was royalty.
Does it Actually Live Up to H2O: Just Add Water?
Comparison is the thief of joy, but in a franchise, it’s inevitable.
If you want the cozy, 2000s Australian beach vibes of the original, Mako Mermaids might feel a bit too "Disney Channel" for you. The CGI is better—technically—but the tails look different. They’re lighter, more orange-gold than the brownish-bronze of the original series.
The tone is also much younger.
While H2O dealt with breakups, jobs, and school stress, Mako Mermaids often feels more focused on "mission-of-the-week" magical problems. However, for a newer generation of fans, the increased stakes made it more binge-worthy. You wanted to know what the Merman Chamber did. You wanted to know if the Dragon would eat the pod.
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And then, the moment everyone waited for happened: Rikki Chadwick returned.
The Cariba Heine Cameo
In the final two episodes of the series, Cariba Heine reprised her role as Rikki.
She wasn't a teenager anymore. She was a professional diver and "treasure hunter" who used her mermaid abilities to find artifacts. Seeing her interact with the new generation was the bridge the fans needed. It confirmed that the shows were in the same timeline and that the magic hadn't faded as the girls got older.
Rikki's presence also reminded us of the "old ways." She was surprised by the new spells and the sheer scale of the magic the new girls were using. It was a passing of the torch that felt earned, even if it took three seasons to get there.
Production Details and Where to Watch
The show was a massive undertaking for Netflix and Network Ten in Australia. It ran for four "parts" (which are basically three seasons) from 2013 to 2016.
- Location: Filmed primarily on the Gold Coast, Queensland.
- The Cafe: Instead of the JuiceNet Cafe, the hangout spot was the Ocean Cafe.
- The Tails: Each tail was custom-molded for the actors and weighed around 12–15kg.
You can still find the series on Netflix in most regions. It’s categorized as a "Netflix Original" in many territories, even though it was a co-production.
How to Get the Best Out of the Series
If you’re planning a rewatch or checking it out for the first time, don't go in expecting H2O Season 4. It’s its own beast.
- Watch the Seasons in Order: Unlike some sitcoms, the plot here is very serialized. If you skip episodes, you’ll have no idea why a random guy is suddenly trying to unlock an underwater temple.
- Pay Attention to the Spells: The magic system in Mako Mermaids is much more defined. They use Moon Rings to channel energy, which adds a layer of "magic tools" that the original girls didn't have.
- Appreciate the Scenery: The underwater shots are legitimately beautiful. They used high-end cameras and real divers to get the movements right. Even if the plot feels young, the production value is top-tier.
Ultimately, Mako Mermaids An H2O Adventure is a solid expansion of the universe. It took risks. Some worked, like the mermen lore, and some didn't, like the frequent cast changes. But for anyone who still dreams of finding a secret grotto on a deserted island, it’s essential viewing.
To dive deeper into the world of Mako, start by revisiting the final episodes of H2O: Just Add Water to refresh your memory on the Moon Pool's original rules before seeing how they are rewritten in the spin-off. Watching the "Rikki" episodes of Mako Mermaids (Season 3, Episodes 15 and 16) first can also provide a familiar entry point for skeptical fans of the original series. For those interested in the technical side, researching the behind-the-scenes work of Jason Baird’s creature effects shop provides a fascinating look at how the iconic tails were evolved for the modern era.