Selkie help.

[Arthfael]

I'm a cosplayer and want to do a selkie cosplay, my home con Amelia Con that I help at and am friends with the con chairs is held at a city rec center with a heated pool. Since the convention is in February no one is ever using it and I'd like to do a selkie. (I know, bad person preferring them to merrows)

I'm basing my design on grey seals.

I don't know what the best material to use is, I want to keep cost low, but try for that seal sleekness. I'm planning for a full up torso design (sketch will be posted as soon as I finish it, croquis are hard to find)

Would it be better to build a custom monofin or alter a bought one? I don't think a bought one would fit seal fin shapes well...

I want to include a false seal skin to attach to the back so I can keep the feel of a selkie. And I want to build the seal head around a swim mask to both aide in swimming (the ocean is high salt here, and all pools are over chlorinated) and to hold the head in place.

I'll post sketches soon to help. I'm not so good at describing...

[Celaeno]

I know some merfolk have reported getting a seal-feel by using stretch velour to make their tails.

[Mermaid Ciela]

I unfortunately don't have any advice to offer you, but I will say that I think your idea is awesome and I can't wait to see how it comes to life!! Best of luck :)


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[Arthfael]

I found a tutorial for casting silicone. Would this work to cast the fleshy seal rear flippers? Or should I build over a monofin?

[Theobromine]

For seal/selkie flippers, it would probably be easiest AND most realistic to just use a pair of bifins, not a monofin. Watch some videos of seals swimming and you'll see how they move their flippers independently of one another, not at all like a fish or a dolphin.

[AmbrGlows]

I made a selkie tail using stretch velvet and a spandex that looked very much like seal flipper skin. I made it originally with individual flippers but I found it too difficult to swim in so I replaced the bifins with a monofin for easier swimming.

[Theobromine]

Why were the bifins difficult to swim in, out of curiosity? Generally they don't have as much surface area than a monofin and don't give as much propulsion, but you can do a dolphin kick with them just the same as with a monofin. I used to use them that way all the time while snorkeling or scuba diving.

[AmbrGlows]

Why were the bifins difficult to swim in, out of curiosity? Generally they don't have as much surface area than a monofin and don't give as much propulsion, but you can do a dolphin kick with them just the same as with a monofin. I used to use them that way all the time while snorkeling or scuba diving.


They are for regular swimming. But with my legs being bound together from the ankles up in the selkie it was difficult to maneuver and swim. The bifins were also heavier than my monofin which didn't help either.

[Echidna]

I don't know what kind of bifins you use, but I have never had a problem using bifins in tails.

They are just as good as most monofins and superior in manoeverability; I can ascend and descend just by using my feet a bit.
And normal bifins aren't heavy?

[Arthfael]

I've used fins with leg bands before....it was a disaster. I can swim with only dolphin kicks no problem, but dive fins (v cut) don't do well for bound legs.

Would it be better to build over the fin or cast one myself to get the thick seal flipper?

[Mermaid Wesley]

I think it's a leg strength thing, plus it's easier to cheat a dolphin kick in a monofin, so if you aren't great on technique you might have a problem. When I make my seal tail I'll use bifins but I'm a strong swimmer


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[Arthfael]

http://sta.sh/01g7x490nhac

My sketch for what I want to do.

Should I cast the fluke or cut and build from a commercial fin?

Any other tips?

[Arthfael]

I also decided against using the swim mask hood and false seal skin, I'll only be using this in pools. My area has recently raised in shark populations, including the return of two local white shark females Mary Lee and Kathrine.

Most here avoid people, so it's probably best to keep a humanoid shape in the ocean.

[maggie.merpuff]

For seal/selkie flippers, it would probably be easiest AND most realistic to just use a pair of bifins, not a monofin. Watch some videos of seals swimming and you'll see how they move their flippers independently of one another, not at all like a fish or a dolphin.

This.

My first tail (and still my only tail) is made to fit individual swim fins. Very seal-like.

I hope this link works.
https://www.facebook.com/plsurkity/videos/10206347637103711/


¸.·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸><(((º>

[AmbrGlows]

This.

My first tail (and still my only tail) is made to fit individual swim fins. Very seal-like.

I hope this link works.
https://www.facebook.com/plsurkity/videos/10206347637103711/


¸.·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸><(((º>

It says the content isn't available right now.

[AmbrGlows]

As for the fins that I used originally when making my Selkie tail they where US Divers Trek Travel fins.

http://www.amazon.com/Divers-Travel-Medium-Men-7-10-Women-9-12/dp/B0030DID4Y/ref=sr_1_8?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1440048517&sr=1-8&keywords=diving+fins

[Theobromine]

Maggie.merpuff, I'm also getting the "content not available" message, which is a shame because I'd love to see your tail!

I'm still not sure what the difficulty is with using bifins to perform a dolphin kick...it works the exact same way as using a monofin to perform a dolphin kick, you just hold your feet together yourself instead of having the monofin footpockets hold them together for you. And with bifins you do have the added benefit of superb maneuverability. I've been swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving for many years now, and while snorkeling and scuba diving I would often swim with the dolphin kick using my bifins...it just always felt natural. Also, when you're scuba diving, you have to learn how to control not only your buoyancy but also your trim; you don't want to be flailing all around or even using your arms to swim at all. Eventually you become experienced enough that you can swim forward, sideways, backwards, upside down, and turn on a dime JUST by flippin' your fins...you literally have complete control over your movements using just your fins. I suppose that comes with a lot more practice, though. As I said, I've been snorkeling and diving using dolphin kick for years but it still took me a while to really master the maneuvering. It didn't happen overnight. But I suggest you practice swimming with bifins, because I guarantee you can use them to do everything you can do with a monofin and more. And especially if you're going for accuracy in a selkie tail, you'll want to use bifins to get the proper look and movement :)

[maggie.merpuff]

Sorry for the wait, guys. Here's a link to the video I was trying to share of me in my tail with individual swim fins.

https://instagram.com/p/4Zxj26IfJn/

[Theobromine]

Cool! Very pinniped-like!

[AmbrGlows]

Seeing your video Maggie.merpuff shows me that maybe my ankles may have been bound a bit too tightly for me to use my bifins.

No matter, I haven't really been able to get in my tails this summer anyways.

[Theobromine]

Ah, if you bound your ankles so tightly you couldn't move/rotate them fully, that was probably the problem. As long as you allow yourself unrestricted ankle movement you should be fine.

[AmbrGlows]

I used the same pattern I use for my tails that use my monofin, those I swim fin in. The only alteration made was attaching flipper pockets instead of a monofin pocket.

My first swim was a disaster and I didn't try again, I just took the flipper pockets off and made a monofin pocket instead. The couple times I've worn my selkie tail it's gotta lots of compliments because of the feel of the stretch velvet.

[darksiren]

PICSSSSS!!!!

[AmbrGlows]

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/29/7adf18888145a86e064520de9004f6f3.png These were taken before I changed the flippers to my mermaid fluke instead.http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/29/ce1224269138c285f715cd788af6677b.png

[AmbrGlows]

Arthfael, did you ever get your selkie tail made?