Which certifications are important for regular Mermaiding and for Schools?

[FireGypsy]

What do you personally and professionally think is important in regards to training and certification for A) a performing Mermaid and B) a Mermaid School?

Lifeguard Certification(covers first aid, CPR, AED)?
Just CPR, First Aid, and AED?
SCUBA Certification?
Freediving Certification?
Water Safety Instructor?
etc.

I am just wondering what your thoughts are since I have heard many different things.


I am SCUBA certified and I see zero correspondence between it and normally swimming in a tail. There is no self contained underwater breathing apparatus involved, nor does any of the training really pertain to what we do, UNLESS you're also doing underwater shoots and such where SCUBA is used and you're also working with other SCUBA divers, which obviously you'd be certified to do if you were doing such things.

[AniaR]

I have a teaching degree and a degree in child development, I find my background as a teacher already + background as a first aid instructor helps the most.

If you're mainly working with kids and just focusing on the basic skills, I don't feel you need scuba or freediving. Free diving can help teaching adults for sure, with kids you just impress upon them the importance of not pushing their breath hold. I would say absolutely CPR/First AID/AED but I am not one to push the lifeguard aspect of it. Even when lifeguards are giving regular swimming lessons, they are not filling the role of lifeguard, there is a different lifegaurd watching. I certainly dont think it hurts to have lifegaurding experience, I just from my own personal experience running a successful mermaid school that it's not needed.

For me it's more about ratios of adults to kids when teaching. Because if you're doing the main instruction, you can't be everywhere. So we did a 1:5 ratio for kids 5-12. Occasionally I had another mermaid shadow me so we'd have anywhere from 3-4 adults in the pool for a group of 15 kids.

I was the only one in a tail for the younger kids. Sean had his legs free, and I hired a swimming instructor to also work with us. She didn't wear a tail for the young group, but for the older group she did because they were more independent.

We did swimtests on the first class and some kids had to start the school with flutterboards, noodles, or life jackets. Most of them didn't need them by the end of the 5 weeks.

I def think you can cover all the basics but incorporating people with different skills and training :)

I wrote a blog about my experience too with videos etc over on www.rainamermaid.weebly.com if you're interested!

[Mermaid Claudia]

I would also be curious about what you might need professionally. The only thing with kids it seems I might end up doing are dry events like informational sessions and storytimes, so I'm not going to be working with any children in the water. It would just be performance oriented things. I already have Basic SCUBA and First Aid/AED/CPR, and I'm working on my Advanced SCUBA certification now... What else might be necessary? (For me personally I'm wondering about aquarium work)

[AniaR]

(For me personally I'm wondering about aquarium work)

We could probably do a whole thread on aquarium work. I have Mermaid Linda Stephanie coming to Mermania to speak on the expert panel about swimming in aquariums. I also interviewed any other mers I could find who worked in them for my books. It really seems like you could have rainbows coming out your butt and every certification in the world- but most aquariums arent interested in mers for very often, and if they are dont always treat them well. I know many mers do not get paid for aquarium work or if they do, get paid very little. Back when Mermaid Melissa was in Ripleys she was paid something like $200 a week. Now I dont believe Ripley's pays anyone. It is very hard to sell yourself on being a regular at an aquarium. it seems like some places may do it as a one off once in a while for marketing, and I know some mers who have zero scuba/free diving and still got to do things like that. While other places have insane qualifications and still treat you like a lesser citizen. Also, many of the mers actually work for the aquariums in other roles.

I would love the experience of swimming in an aquarium with animals once, I have already done a research aquarium.

[Ocean]

Personally we have refused to teach children to swim under water, unless they are over the age of 16, where we can legally teach them freediving skills, other than that - the children will have to remain in the shallow pool were they can stand at any point, so the focus is on the idea of being a mermaid and not under water swimming as such. I don't think people realise the importance of recovery breathing, let alone the warning signs the body sends to you, when you are submerged. The consequences of holding your breath via scuba and swimming off, with out knowing how the compressed air expands in your lungs and blood vessels, can be life threatening, IF you do not know how to managed the air. I know that most people do this as recreational fun in a local pool, however I do not agree with people "teaching" any form of mermaid course UNLESS they are qualified freediving instructors, because lets face it, freedivers are also mermaids, right?
I am not trying to put a downer on things but I know all too well, that the simplest error can be fatal, why would you by-pass internationally recognised instruction from a professional, just because you don't understand or perhaps know the in depth details to the effects on our bodies once they are under water.... I have always loved mermaids and offer professional courses because I care and I want the Mer industry to be accepted and allowed to grow, especially here in the UK. One black out and we will all lose out on a venue to swim and train in, that's just how it works. Lets just get professional about this and do the right thing.. xxxx

[AniaR]

however I do not agree with people "teaching" any form of mermaid course UNLESS they are qualified freediving instructors, because lets face it, freedivers are also mermaids, right?

While I agree with the premise of teaching rescue breathing etc (I am a trained free diver btw, I just do not have certification to teach free diving) to teens and adults, by your assumptions, kids in general just shoudlnt be taught to swim unless the instructor is a free diver? That doesnt make any sense to me. It makes the assumption that kids swimming in mermaid tails are free diving. A kid can go underwater and be taught the same safety methods that they would be in a normal swimming lesson. And just like normal swimming lessons you encourage safety habits, and discourage anything that puts them at risk.

I think it's too ignorant to assume that all mermaid swimming = free diving, but I do agree that everyone can benefit from some free diving training. Adding a monofin doesnt change a kid into a free diver.

As someone who has been int he industry teaching for almost a decade now, I have seen all manner of swimmers pick up mermaid swimming. From kids who dont know how to swim at all, to syncro swimmer alumni. It is like anything else, you woudlnt take one sport that is similar to another and place restrictions on one based on the other just because they are similar. It be like saying, all snow boarders should learn to ski because it's basically the same thing. Or all rollar bladers are ice hockey skaters. etc.

We have already taught kids all manner of water sports without the necessity of free diving. From diving, to syncro, to racing, to simple recreation. Free diving can certainly help, and I have no qualms against instructors having training. But that doesn't mean a kid needs to have free diving training to learn to use a monofin. I dont even think legally AIDA and other governing bodies would be OK with free diving training being given to kids. if anything I think it would encourage them to push their breath holds and be more at risk.

We do a whole lesson at my mermaid school about breathing safety.

If our industry is going to have a problem, I sincerely believe it'll come from either 1) a kid swimming in a tail somewhere without a lifegaurd or supervision and getting in an emergency situation 2) an adult doing the same dang thing

[Mermaid Riia]

If our industry is going to have a problem, I sincerely believe it'll come from either 1) a kid swimming in a tail somewhere without a lifegaurd or supervision and getting in an emergency situation 2) an adult doing the same dang thing
Seconded

I'm jumping in too. Think there's lots of opinions on this one, but I thought to share mine, because this subject continues interests me too. I perform as a mermaid through out the year regularly and I'm scuba certified, freediving trained, certified kids swimming instructor and certified snorkeling instructor for ages 6-16. We also offer mermaid school workshops for adults and kids from age 6 up.

But well...basically you don't really need any certification/qualification to be a performing mermaid, but don't be surprised if customers rarely book you.. For a performing mermaid I have noticed being scuba certified and freediving trained is handy and important (IF you are doing it as a pro or aiming to do it as a pro). It makes performing/shooting/training so much smoother and when you are properly trained and everything runs smoothly, you give a nice professional image of yourself too and that boosts your business. Plus keeps you safe.

As for mermaid classes, there is such a huge difference whether you are teaching adults or kids. If you are teaching kids, there is huge differences in age groups too. How to teach different age groups, how to handle and work with kids in different age groups and support their natural development, how different age groups grow and what they are able to do, mental, physical, motor skills. Also how you act as a teacher, personal space in age groups, what is counted as sexual harassment (we are dealing with a sport that has very minimal clothing), what is good sport and what's not. All the stuff I didn't even THINK about before educating myself.

I highly recommend taking a kids swimming instructor or similar, if one is interested in offering mermaid classes for kids. So you'll get the basic hang of teaching kids and teaching swimming though it's mostly for entertaining purposes only. Same thing goes for adults too. It depends what you want to teach. If you teach them freediving and make this super "hardcore", yes, ofc you will have to be freedive instructor qualified imo. If it's more to entertaining purposes only, customers get to try out a tail and get few tips, you don't need to be freedive instructor qualified.

Safety is always important, no matter what age group. It's important to have a good students to teachers/intructors ratio and at least one First Aid/AED/CPR. I would also recommend one pair of eyes OUT of the water during classes and/or performances (this is what we do, highly recommend).

In all cases avoid thinking that "since I have completed this and this class and have this and this certification I'm ready". Like scuba divers say tend to say "a good student is never ready" and I like to think neither is a good mermaid performer. Keep learning! Always aim to make your skills better, broaden your mind, always try to perfect yourself because you are never completely ready.

[AniaR]

As for mermaid classes, there is such a huge difference whether you are teaching adults or kids. If you are teaching kids, there is huge differences in age groups too. How to teach different age groups, how to handle and work with kids in different age groups and support their natural development, how different age groups grow and what they are able to do, mental, physical, motor skills. Also how you act as a teacher, personal space in age groups, what is counted as sexual harassment (we are dealing with a sport that has very minimal clothing), what is good sport and what's not

Exactly! A 5 year old is so developmentally different than a 10 year old. Kids go through specific stages too and that's part of why I think they wouldn't have the discretion to totally comprehend free diving training.


Like scuba divers say tend to say "a good student is never ready" and I like to think neither is a good mermaid performer.


I love this!!! great quote.


Always aim to make your skills better, broaden your mind, always try to perfect yourself because you are never completely ready.

Yes life long learning for the win!!!