Where You Can Learn To Be A Mermaid

By: Phoebe Ackland, ellaslist

Mermaiding well and truly became a 'thing' last Summer, making the dreams of little mermaids and mermen a reality. So are you ready to become a real life Ariel? You can! From kid's classes, holiday workshops and birthday parties to adult water workouts with a twist, everyone's invited to get in on the mermaiding action. 

Everyone Has A Little Mermaid In Them

Little kids dreaming of becoming a mermaid when they grow up are now not to be chuckled at! ‘Mermaiding’ is the new fun leisure and fitness activity taking Sydney pools by storm. Back in September 2016, the Des Renford Leisure Centre in Maroubra welcomed Michaela Werner’s ‘No Ripples’ mermaid school, according to The Daily Telegraph. Werner told The Daily Telegraph: “Mermaiding is an exciting new water activity that combines fitness and fantasy in a unique way. We teach children and adults how to use the monofins correctly and safely to efficiently move through the water. Swimming with a monofil is much faster than conventional swimming, so you can experience a completely new way of swimming, which is exciting and exhilarating.” No Ripples initially launched in Wollongong last Summer.

Michaela Werner via Illawarra Mercury

Classes For Every Aspiring Mermaid

No Ripples offers lots of exciting programs for little girls and boys with big underwater dreams. From mermaid gift cards to kids classes in Maroubra, Sutherland, Campbelltown and Wollongong, to birthday parties and adult fitness classes- it is clear that mermaiding is tapping into something genius. During warm weather school holiday periods, No Ripples often offers “Mermaiding By The Sea” workshops where for 1 full day, children learn about the ocean, practice mermaid yoga, create ocean jewellery, try creating mermaid hair and make-up looks, create underwater movies, and meet other local mermaids!

For mums hoping to get in on the fun, try an adult mermaiding class! Classes incorporate competitions, swimming through hoops and playing mermaid games- all in a mermaid tale, naturally. Not only are classes full of laughter, but they pack a real whole-body punch, targeting obliques and arms in particular. 

Source: Illawarra Mercury

A Warning About Mermaid Fins

As mermaiding has taken the world by storm, so has gifting mermaid tails to children, for last Christmas in particular. Werner told The Daily Telegraph: “The fact is, thousands of people buy mermaid fins for Christmas. It becomes dangerous when children don’t know how to use them. If they use the fins properly, it can build their water confidence and, through play, the kids can get into more serious water sports like monofinning or freediving when they’re older.”

Binding two feet into a single fin, or even 2 legs into one long mermaid tail might look like a dream-come-true, but isn’t without its potential dangers. According to the Illawarra Mercury, NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Rod Stowe has warned that mermaid tails should only be given to strong swimmers 6yrs +, are not to be used in shallow water, and may even require a lesson. It would seem that mermaiding is a little more gruelling that initially thought!

Source: Illawarra Mercury