Beginners Guide to Mermaiding

Have you been intrigued by the new and exciting underwater sport known as mermaiding? To experience the feeling of wearing a tail, swimming gracefully underwater and training to become something that places you at one with the marine creatures that surround you?

Becoming a mermaid is something that I’ve always thought about becoming. I have always been drawn to the ocean since a very young age. First, I took on snorkelling so I could take a peek into the underwater world, then scuba diving so I could get a bit closer to experiencing the ocean as a mermaid might.

In recent times, mermaids have become increasingly popular. So much so that there is now a full sport around it called mermaiding! Since mermaiding has become a thing, I have been very eager to get on the tail and train to become a qualified mermaid. And now is my time because I FINALLY get the chance to become a mermaid and I got to take the course in Bournemouth a few weeks ago!

I'm extremely eager to share my journey with you, but before I do, I want to share the packing essentials for mermaiding, the expectations and what you need to prepare for before starting your journey.

Preparing For The Mermaiding Course

Before starting the mermaiding course, there are a few things that you need to prepare for, plan and pack. First off, before you jump into the practical, you’ll need to invest some time in reading the course materials. You will go over everything on the day in the theory part of your course, but be prepared for questions that your instructor will ask during your lesson. There will be a small multiple-choice quiz at the end of your theory lesson, so get some revising in so you’ll be extra smart and ready for the fun practical side of the course.

Packing Essentials For The Mermaiding Course

Now onto the packing. You need to be prepared by packing some essential items for the course. Your instructor should send you a list of items that you need to bring but for me, I took the following:

Mask and/or goggles: Some people prefer masks while others prefer to take goggles. I recommend taking both or one that you feel most comfortable in. For me, I found the mask to be the most comfortable so I used this during mermaiding.

Swimming Costume: Pack a swimming costume that you’ll feel most comfortable and relaxed in. I highly recommend a costume that’s made for more active swimming activities.

Rashguard and/or wetsuit: I wasn’t sure about the water temperature of the swimming pool and I knew that I would be in the pool for a few hours, so I took a rash guard and wetsuit with me, just in case I got cold. I ended up wearing a rash guard over my swimsuit but I would recommend packing both, just in case.

Changing robe/towel: You’ll need to dry yourself off with something after mermaiding so you'll need to pack a towel or changing robe.

My Day of Becoming a Mermaid

Are you ready to come on this mermaiding journey with me?

The day finally arrived and I could not contain my excitement, I was finally becoming a mermaid! Our first task of the day was the theory. I found the lesson to be very interesting and engaging. The theory was approximately 2 hours long where we discovered the importance of equipment, proper mermaiding practices, swimmer rescuing and so on. Yes, there are a lot of things that you need to learn and know before jumping into the water with a tail!

At the end of the lesson, we all took the multiple choice quiz, which was super easy and there’s nothing to worry about if you’ve revised!

Classroom part out of the way, it was time to get the mermaid tails on and jump into the water! As I put the tail on, it felt different to have my legs combined and felt a little bit heavy on the legs but I soon got used to it after I did a bit of manoeuvring and swimming in the water. Swimming with the tail felt effortless, blissful and natural. But that was all thanks to the gear that we used and our instructor coaching us on the proper techniques of mermaiding.

Within the course, we learned how to duck dive, swim like a mermaid and complete some extremely fun tricks (tail-flick and backflips were my favourites!). There were some important safety specialities that we practised and perfected, which included swimmer rescues and towing.

Beginners Guide to Mermaiding

What I Learned From The Mermaiding Course

WOW, what an experience this course has given me. I am so glad I finally took the course I’ve been so eager to do because it was everything that I dreamed of and more. From my experience and the course, I learned a lot of key things. I want to highlight and share some of them with you before you put on the tail and take on this magical sport.

Invest in proper equipment: I can’t stress this one enough - choose proper, safe, comfortable and durable equipment! You need to have the proper equipment to ensure that you’ll have the best and most comfortable experience possible. When selecting equipment, you need to invest in suitable snorkelling gear as well as a durable mermaid tail. Always choose quality as this will make your experience more enjoyable. At Mike's dive store, we have an extensive range of high-quality snorkelling gear. Make sure to check this out when you’re choosing your snorkelling gear. And as always if you have any questions about what snorkelling equipment will suit you best, make sure to send us an email at support@mikesdivestore.com.

Take the course: I urge you to take the course before you get in the water with a mermaid tail. Yes, there are a lot of safety aspects you need to learn before trying on the tail for yourself. From proper duck diving, the entry and exit methods and water rescues, you’ll learn the essentials for a safe mermaiding experience.

Go for it!: And finally, if you’re someone who loves the ocean, loves mermaids and wants to try something new, this is the sport that I highly recommend trying. It was so much fun getting into the suit and learning to become a mermaid. I can’t recommend this enough and I’m so glad that I finally got to experience mermaiding.