wanting to be a mermaid

[esther]

Hi, I'm Esther. I just happened to run across a video on u-tube showing a mermaid with really long hair swimming & I was mesmerized as I have really long hair & I think it really looks great free flowing in the water! So I am trying to learn what I need to begin with. I wanted a neoprene suit as I need to keep warm & have something to help me keep from sinking, as I normally sink like a rock. So I thought about neoprene underwear & a fabric tail. Has anyone tried that combination & how would that work? Does anyone make neoprene shorts that goes from the waist to the knees without 2 separate legs, ( I hate pants!!) With a tail, I would only need 1 leg anyway. I would like to hear of your views. Esther

[ShyMer]

Esther-
I think most people struggle with floating here, so I'm not sure where to direct you for the answers you're looking for.
Have you considered buying or making a neoprene tail? You wouldn't have to worry about shorts then.

[Mermaid Sirenia]

How did you come across mernetwork?

[Winged Mermaid]

GOOD NEWS- IT'S NOT ESTHER! (The old Esther ;) ) I checked them out, and they do check out. In fact this person's real name is not actually Esther (nor are they female). I'm moving all the other posts to the drama thread.
Sorry Esther for the drama, we've had QUITE the drama and harassment from another Esther, who is a little girl, in this community, who has tried to get on this forum multiple times by lying about her identity. Please forgive the fellow members for jumping the gun!

Esther- we have nothing against using different names, as we pretty much all do as mermaid names. But just be honest with us on who you are, where you're from, what your interests/intentions are on this forum :) Be honest and we'll all get along! That being said, Welcome to MerNetwork, and we have lots helpful community and info if you're truly interesting in mermaiding (or mermaning as the case may be ;) ).

[Winged Mermaid]

Also now that that post is out of the way, if you're worried about warmpth and making sure you stay afloat, neoprene is a very good material for that. It's warm and positively buoyant (makes you float). Neoprene can be a bit costly for a beginner tail though, so I'd understand if you don't want to jump into a whole neoprene tail yet. I haven't heard of neoprene underwear or anything like you're describing. However I have seen people go swimming in shortie wet suits with a tail over their bottom half. BUT those have legs.. maybe a neoprene vest, or top (torso and sleeves only) and a fabric tail. :)

[Mary Marine]

You might try getting a pair of old wetsuit pants, ripping out the center seams and sewing them together into a single tube "leg" to wear under a fabric tail. I know a couple of mers have made patchwork neoprene tails out of old wetsuits and used that method for the body of the tail. Try looking in the tail making thread or searching for wetsuit or neoprene as a keyword.

[esther]

GOOD NEWS- IT'S NOT ESTHER! (The old Esther ;) ) I checked them out, and they do check out. In fact this person's real name is not actually Esther (nor are they female). I'm moving all the other posts to the drama thread.
Sorry Esther for the drama, we've had QUITE the drama and harassment from another Esther, who is a little girl, in this community, who has tried to get on this forum multiple times by lying about her identity. Please forgive the fellow members for jumping the gun!

Esther- we have nothing against using different names, as we pretty much all do as mermaid names. But just be honest with us on who you are, where you're from, what your interests/intentions are on this forum :) Be honest and we'll all get along! That being said, Welcome to MerNetwork, and we have lots helpful community and info if you're truly interesting in mermaiding (or mermaning as the case may be ;) ).

I am 64 yrs old & I like doing many things that the average person dosent do or have the nerve to do.Actually my first love is flying & soaring, but that is very expensive. And I didn't think I would want to swim because of my fear of sinking & getting cold. But by searching your site & other sites, I think with the right equipment (mermaid tails!!!) & a little encouragement, I would really enjoy it. Also I hated water in my eyes, ever in a shower, but with the right mask, I think that would be resolved. So I am ordering some things from swim outlet & hope in a few weeks I can say I finally enjoy swimming! Esther

[PearlieMae]

Hi Esther!

Swimming can be likened to flying, if you think of the water as thick air! ;)

If you can find an indoor heated pool to start with, swim around in chest deep water, you'll soon get acclimated and your concerns of sinking and freezing will float away. I hate splashing water in my face, too, and a nice pair of goggles solves that. When I first started seriously swimming with a monofin, I always had a foam kick board with me, and when I take off across my lake, I tow it behind me...Just in case!

Now that everyone is over the panic of you being a quasi-stalker teenager with way too much enthusiasm, I hope you'll find that the Mernetwork community is helpful and welcoming.

Also, you're never too old to be merfolk! I'm 55 in human years! ;)

[Princess Pearl]

Hi Esther! You might want to check out Otterbay wetsuits. They are full body neoprene, so they really float AND keep you warm once you start swimming.


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[Mermaid Enora]

Hey there!
Sorry for all of us jumping on you at once there.....just a little too much drama all at once elsewhere

anyway, I have a 5mm neoprene (wetsuit scraps) tail that is really warm and REALLY boyant.
I sewed mine out of wetsuit pants. I just sewed the legs together and it works great!
if you want more info on it you can take a look at my how to post for the tail....

http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?10235-another-sequin-tail

[Mermaid Wesley]

Ok! Then welcome! Sorry about before! It was just... A perfect coincidence. I hope you find lots of info here.


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[malinghi]

Welcome to MerNetwork!

If you're concerned about the water being too cold you could call local pools to find out what temperature they're kept at. Some of them might be warm enough to swim in with just a fabric tail. Fabric tails are great if you're new to mermaiding because they're easier to get on and off, and they weight less out of the water. Also they're less expensive.

[Mermaid Muir]

Welcome to our little slice of the internet!

[MerMel]

Hi Esther!

Swimming can be likened to flying, if you think of the water as thick air! ;)

Also, you're never too old to be merfolk! I'm 55 in human years! ;)


indeed! fluid dynamics 101 B-)

I was thinking the same thing, feeling silly like I'm too old for this hehe


the OtterBaySuits as mentioned before are a good choice, I'm also considering a Siren's Song Tail (if you're looking for a more traditional mer look.)

I kinda want to get the ottersuit to look like a full Cetacean (dolphin) body... hmm, a bit anthro eh? :)

[PearlieMae]

That would be interesting! I think once you get your neoprene suit sorted out, the easiest way to do dolphin would be to make a spandex over-suit. Maybe use polyester quilt batting in places to smooth potentially problem areas. It will take on water and be heavy on land, but since it's polyester, it should drain fairly quickly.

Just a thought. :)

[esther]

I did buy a pair of neoprene shorts, so will try that first, thanks, Esther

[esther]

I did a search for mermaid forums, & found this, Esther

[Merfin_Aurora_Oceania]

Congrats and welcome Esther, enjoy your time and its definitely not fishy here ;)

[Merman Jamie]

Welcome

[esther]

That is good advice & I will try to do that. If someone has a worn out spandex suit to try out, That would be helpful. esther