A formal greeting from the OK state

[Magi]

I figured I would stop lurking and actually join in.... Hi, I'm Magi and I've been a mer-enthusiast for as long as I can remember (I'm not sure I can call myself a mermaid at this point). I was one of those kids who grew up in a pool, playing mermaid even before my floaties came off. Not even a near-drowning experience has put me off swimming, I still love it to this day and hope some day I'll be able to afford my own pool and not have to bum off family.

I didn't really know that you could really be a mermaid until recent years thanks to the internet when I stumbled upon photos, and I didn't get to meet a professional mermaid until a few years ago at a Renaissance Fair. Honestly being a professional seems amazing, I admire all you merfolk who are getting to live those dreams.
I've only recently bought my first tail (cloth from Mertailor) and I'm hoping on getting a lot of use out of it this summer.

I'll probably go back to the lurking, but wanted to say hi and give a wave to fellow Oklahoma mermaids out there. I know I've seen a few out there, it's nice to see there's others that are local =)

[Slim]

Welcome to the mernetwork

[Mermaid_Izzy]

Welcome! Nice to meet you!


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[Mermaid_Calla]

Yeah I didn't know this was a thing until I went to the mermaid promenade this May. My first baby tail was from the Mertailor too. :)

[Magi]

Thanks for the warm welcomes everyone =)

Mermaid promenade? That sounds interesting but I have to wonder what that is exactly.

[Mermaid_Calla]

It's a march of mermaids down in old town Sacramento. We parade up and down the Sacramento River, and usually there's an adult swim for the mermaids and a river cleanup in the days leading up to it and then after the promenade there's an after-party at the dive bar and mermaids perform in their tanks there. :3

[Magi]

Oh wow, that is really cool! I'm personally not sure if there's much in the way of mermaid events in my state... from what I've lurked about and seen I would say no, but an established local mermaid might know otherwise.
Of course I'm not sure we would want to swim in our local lakes/rivers.... Too much red dirt.

[Mermaid_Calla]

I'm not sure what the significance of the red dirt is, but you could be the first if you haven't heard of any in your state. I don't think I've seen any OK mermaids. Most in the U.S. seem to be from Florida and California. But you can get away without doing a lot of swimming too. Just taking pictures near water in a tail is fun on its own. :3

[Magi]

Red dirt is just something that a lot of our ground soil is made of.... It's essentially red clay and it's everywhere, even in a lot of our water sources. You can't go swimming without getting stained clothing.
I might have to check with my pod to see if any of my fellow local mermaids combat that, because I really don't want to expose a cloth tail to something that will stain it. Or maybe I can at least find some good photoshoot locations, but for the most part I just like swimming.

[Mermaid_Calla]

I see, that would be really unfortunate. Just the skin on a tail is like $70-80, so it's not cheap. I don't know how stain resistant neoprene is either. A silicone tail probably wouldn't be affected, but they don't recommend you start with those anyway. I guess there probably aren't a ton of pools where you live either huh?

[Magi]

I imagine a silicone tail would hold up to it the best, but yeah.... it's gonna be several years before I would feel comfortable with one of those. I have a dream tail for sure, but unless I really get into this I'm not sure it would be worth it for me.
There are pools, I've been swimming in a decent sized one in my current tail, but I would enjoy swimming somewhere deeper. Going to have to hit up some family or friends to see if they have somewhere that is more than 4 feet deep so I can practice some more advance things.

[sealforvr]

Hi Magi! OKC here. Arkansas and Missouri lakes and springs tend to be way clearer since most are located in limestone valleys rather than clay and sandstone. All the same I'd still swim with at least goggles, if not a freedive mask. All the lakes have become overdeveloped and the Army Corps does not seem concerned with water quality.

[Magi]

Oh wow, thanks for the advice Seal! Sounds like I need to take my mask and go on a road trip for a dip. I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to open my eyes in fresh water without anything protecting my eyes.

[Mermaid Bria]

Hi guys, i'm located in southwest part of the state. A good spot I've been eyeing for pics is in a town called Medicine Park. It's located near the Wichita Mountain Wildlife refuge. Even though it is littered with red cobblestones that are from the eroded mountains, the red dirt is very minimal. They have a creek that flows from a dam going through the town. The swimming area is all man made and the water isn't clear but its clean by Oklahoma lake standards. there's also a little waterfall :)
Has anyone also tried the springs down in the Arbuckle Mountains????
I've been writing lists of all the great locations for shoots for when I get my tail, and I was starting to think that I was on my own here in OK. lol

[mermaid mazu]

I'm from North East oklahoma and there are actually 2 decent sized pods here there are crystal clear creeks around me that go up to 23'and my local rec center allows allows tails in their indoor pool that's 13'

[Magi]

That actually sounds really tempting. The Y I've tried reaching out to hasn't been very open to the idea of tails, I've reached the desperate point of swimming in a heated outdoor pool scheduled here in a few weeks.

[Agent Dragon]

When I saw this thread title, I didn’t realize you were talking about Oklahoma. I thought you were saying “a formal greeting from the okay state” lol


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[Magi]

When I saw this thread title, I didn’t realize you were talking about Oklahoma. I thought you were saying “a formal greeting from the okay state” lol


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:rotfl:
Well we are that too if you ask me....