Mermaid Sidequest

The Mermaid Sidequest is a small and unnecessary sidequest in Phantom Hourglass. In it, you had to catch a fake mermaid.

The sidequest began when Link talked to the Old Wayfarer in Banaan Island. He then heard about a supposed mermaid, who appeared if no monsters were present on the island. After this, Link had to defeat every monster on the island besides the cave-dwellers. As he finished, the mermaid appeared by the coast. Every time he got near her, she would move away to another place.

With no other ideas, Link decided to try his boomerang. Successful, Link almost immediately found out that the "mermaid" was in fact Joanne, a girl who loved dressing up like a mermaid. Upon hearing Link's story, she agreed to visit the Old Wayfarer.

When Link returned Old Wayfarer's home, he told Link that he had still not seen the mermaid. Ciela suggested that Joanne may have confused the Old Wayfarer with Linebeck. Link then had to talk to Linebeck, who had seen her.

When Link returned again to the Old Wayfarer's home, he found that Joanne and him had finally met. As a reward, the Old Wayfarer gave Link the old Fishing Rod he used to try to catch the "mermaid".