‘Bubble Queen of Mission Bay’ Reggie Dyer Veit reigns with joy

About half an hour before sunset, something extraordinary happens at Mission Bay Park. Giant, iridescent bubbles float through the air, some stretching 8 to 12 feet, occasionally drifting over Interstate 5 and past apartment windows, leaving wonder in their wake.

Behind this phenomenon is a bubble artist who has called San Diego home since 1987 and spent the past nine years perfecting her craft and earning the nickname “Bubble Queen of Mission Bay.” 

Reggie Dyer Veit’s journey into bubble artistry began nearly 40 years ago at the Ocean Beach Christmas Parade, where she first saw a bubble artist perform.

“I just fell in love with it. I thought that’s so neat,” Dyer Veit said. 

But life got in the way and she waited three decades before pursuing her passion. The turning point came when she spotted someone creating giant bubbles on the dunes in Pacific Beach. 

“I went home that night and started learning everything I could about bubbles,” Dyer Veit said. 

What followed was an intensive self-education. Dyer Veit discovered a wiki site with information about bubble physics and history, spending four or five days absorbed in reading. Within her first year, she became a certified bubbleologist — a designation requiring both theoretical knowledge and practical skill. 

“You have to take a test to become a bubbleologist,” Dyer Veit said. “You have to be able to do certain tricks with the bubble.” 

One of the most challenging tricks she learned is called “the cube,” created by renowned bubble artist Tom Noddy, who performed on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.” The trick involves blowing five bubbles around two connected bubbles to form a cube shape in the center. 

Like other bubble enthusiasts, Dyer Veit is part of a community with its own vocabulary.

“We have our own bubble language,” she said. “You’ll hear us talk about things like the dragon and the wick.” 

Dyer Veit said October is often her best month for bubbling, as higher humidity helps the bubbles last longer. She has spent years perfecting her bubble juice recipe, a secret mix of five ingredients besides water. Her goal is to create bubbles that can withstand wind and drift for extended periods.

“If you can get a bubble to last over 30 seconds, that’s pretty good,” she said. “I’ve had them go for almost three minutes.”

Mission Bay provides ideal conditions due to the moisture in the air. However, she also ventures to La Jolla, Dog Beach in Ocean Beach and the Torrey Pines Gliderport, where updrafts can send bubbles soaring over cliffs. 

The reactions she witnesses range from pure delight to the downright surreal. Her most unusual encounter happened at De Anza Cove when one of her giant bubbles floated over the freeway, high above the hillside.  

“A hawk was circling and dive bombed the bubble,” she said. “That was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen.” 

More often, Dyer Veit sees faces light up, moods shift and she hears a lot of “wows.”

“I know that I’m going to turn somebody’s day around,” she said. 

Dyer Veit has made many friends through bubbling, including Steve Coy, who has apprenticed with her for two years. While she favors a few giant bubbles at a time, Coy prefers a garland that releases 20 to 60 medium bubbles with each sweep. 

The “Bubble Queen’s” passion isn’t confined to California skies. Nearly three years ago, Dyer Veit took her bubble wands on a four-day train trip from Sacramento to Detroit. 

“Every time the train stopped long enough, I got off and did bubbles,” she said, sharing her art with strangers along the way. 

What Dyer Veit didn’t expect was how deeply the practice would affect her. Once shy and introverted, she found herself opening up through her art. 

“It just takes a little bubble in the air to change your whole attitude,” Dyer Veit said. 

These days, she spends most evenings at Mission Bay, delighting onlookers with giant bubbles.

“I wish I were like that before I started bubbles,” Dyer Veit said. “Bubbles did that to me.”