Aspiring to be a mermaid was once upon a time the dream of little girls (and boys) who became obsessed with Disney’s Ariel, but times have changed and, as freediver STEVE MILLARD maintains, being a mermaid has become a serious undertaking
In its simplest form, “mermaiding” is what it says on the can – wearing a tail and dressing like a mermaid. It is also using a monofin in that tail to swim like a mermaid.
Tails are often made of Lycra, latex or silicone and range from £40 to more than £4,000, depending on the style, manufacturer and material. There are many facets to this “new discipline”. I say ‘new’, because mermaiding has become a buzzword but it has been around in places such as the USA for a long time, and even in the UK I first came across it in 2005.
In that year, there was a competition to choose from several girls to find the Salt Free Mermaid. Mandy Buckley won the title and, because she was based in Crewe, I started to coach her. By May 2009, she claimed the UK monofin record (DYN) with a 140m underwater swim.
Until recently I had always seen the mermaiding side of things as an extension of freediving and breath-hold, but an entire industry is growing up around it.
In the USA many people are now making a full-time living from mermaiding, so those who describe it as a fad have yet to grasped the sheer size, scale and, in my opinion, eventual longevity of it. Mermaiding, like scuba, is multi-faceted, and some of the areas are described here.
Aquarium performances
In the UK we have had several mermaid aquarium shows, which are always popular and increase revenue for the aquariums (in some cases, quadrupling footfall), while the mermaids love to perform there.
With Performance Mermaids I have dived as a safety freediver alongside scuba support, and my favourite aspect is always the reaction of both kids and adults as they see the mermaids swimming around in real life.
It creates a genuine buzz in the atmosphere around the aquarium, which is very positive, and it also motivates staff who otherwise have very similar daily routines. Shows we have run at Blue Planet Aquarium in Cheshire prove particularly popular on occasions such as Christmas and Halloween, when dressing-up is common.
Children’s parties
One area where there has been a flurry of new businesses and self-employed “mers” getting work is organising and/or performing at children’s parties. Some are in-water mers, so they swim (while lifeguards look after the children, because they wouldn’t be capable of doing that in a tail) and interact with the pool party and the children.
There are also dry-side mers, who dress up and play party games with the kids and doesn’t need to be pool-based. These sessions have proven very popular, because kids all over the country are looking for different party ideas, and have been a lucrative and enjoyable way of earning a living. Companies such as Grace Page’s Hire A Mermaid have taken the lead here.
Corporate, special & charity events
Themed corporate events that have their own pool, special events and various festivals have utilised this skill-set as something unique to entertain their guests. I have been involved in charity events for the likes of St Abbs’ lifeboat station and MacMillan Cancer Support – some of these events are paid, some not, depending on the motivation for the show.
Fitness
A few companies are springing up offering mermaid fitness classes. A good monofin workout is fabulous for the core, and a lot of swimmers use fins and monofins as part of their training routine, so these sessions are catching on as a fun way to burn calories, increase flexibility and strengthen muscles, especially the core. It’s all about health, wellness and that feel-good factor.
Social
For some, mermaiding is simply about enjoyment and meeting like-minded people. Conventions such as one organised by Jessica Pennington of Merfolk UK are starting to happen, with regular meet-ups and clubs forming.
A group of mers is a pod, and many pods around the UK are now enjoying their passion. It can be about empowerment, building self-confidence and freedom of expression and, for the many brought up around social media, it’ a fantastic way of filling their news-feed with fun pictures and adventures.
Cosplay and artistic flair
Many of the mers have come from a background of artistic flair and theatrical performance, including singers, face-painters, dress-up princesses, fire-breathers, pole-dancers and cultivators of other forms of expression.
The arts often don’t pay very well, if at all, but such performers tend to be creative, ingenious, skilful and flamboyant people. Sometimes life isn’t all about money but about doing what you love! For many, it’s about creativity and individuality.
Aquatic beings
Some people are just drawn to water and because mermaids for that reason. They love the seas and oceans, rivers, beaches and even just being in public bodies of water such as swimming pools and lidos. For those who had childhood dreams of being mermaids fostered through books, stories, pictures and films and now find that there is an outlet, the lure is too great to resist.
Some have come from a pure freediving background, and these mers tend to be exceptionally talented in the water, able to spend long periods beneath the surface, swim considerable distances and impress onlookers with their aquaticity.
Ambassadors
Some people have approached mermaiding from the perspective of using their marketability and individuality to raise awareness shark and other marine-life charities and ocean clean-ups. They help to spread the word about conservation, which can only be a positive approach.
Scuba clubs can get involved by allowing these mermaids to train and spend time together in club sessions. Many clubs have benefited from the additional revenue brought in by mermaiding groups, and also the extra life they can bring to a club, both in the pool sessions and in social media afterwards.
As long as insurance and qualifications and a good risk assessment are in place and breath-hold activities are adequately covered, it’s a win-win situation.
Mermaiding safety
Anyone thinking of undertaking the breath-hold side of mermaiding should sign up for a freediving course. This provides the entry-level skills to develop ability and technique, and demonstrates how important safety is in freediving and mermaiding.
For those who haven’t done a freediving course, and don’t understand the dangers of practising untrained or passing small snippets of information between each other, I can only say that you don’t know what you don’t know. Pick a reputable and experienced freediving and mermaid school such as Performance Mermaids or Freedive UK.
Qualifications can give access to freediving and scuba clubs, and being part of a club network provides the opportunity to practise those skills in a cohesive and supportive environment with like-minded people. Nowadays pretty much all pools, aquariums and open-water sites require some proof of ability when undertaking breath-holding and especially when using monofins.
Those who haven’t sought permission are probably going to fall foul of any situation that highlights this fact, such as spot-checks or an incident, no matter how small. Seeking qualifications and suitable insurance shows a good safe mentality. Mermaiding is here to stay, so I’m sure you’ll see it at a beach, dive-site or pool-session soon.
Photographs by Steve Millard
Also on Divernet: Mermaid at the Museum, ‘Green hair? You should totally do this!', Mermaids gave scuba diver kiss of life, Mermaids highlight 10 NZ dive locations, 110 Chinese mermaids go for record
