Do you have to actually swim to consider yourself a mermaid?

[Princess Kae-Leah]

I love being part of the mer-community/fandom, but the thing is, I'm not a good swimmer by any stretch of the imagination, as I'm very much afraid of drowning. Does being a strictly dry mermaid cosplayer(well, expect for maybe getting part of my tail wet in a kiddie pool or bathtub) make me not a mermaid at all by some peoples' standards, or is it the mer inside that counts?

[New York Mermaid]

wet or dry if you don a fin whether fabric or other, professional or self made costume- your a mermaid- you dont have to swim, *though most mers do* As long as you feel it in yourself thats what you are. It makes you no different from me, and im an active swimmer. If you live it in some way or form, you are a mermaid. :)

[AniaR]

I think if you're gettin a tail to try you need to practice and get more comfortable in the water AND NEVER BE IN THE WATER ALONE. You can get better at swimming and more comfortable. I always practice with my BF and I do lots of things to feel comfy and I take it slow. I learned to float really well and that is my saving grace whenever I get nervous mermaid tail or not I float and feel calm.

[Princess Kae-Leah]

@Raina, I don't plan on actually swimming in my tail, just cosplaying and taking pictures.

[OrcaMatt]

​I hope not! Unless I go all the way back to Boy Scout Camp in the mid-90s, I can't remember the last time I went swimming.

[Mermaid Photine]

I think that it's the minset that counts. If you love dressing up as a mermaid, you are one.

If it's required that you have to swim to be a mermaid, one could argue that you'd actually have to have a tail, as well. I'm a swimmer, but have no tail at the moment, and I still feel like a mermaid. :D

[mermaid hannah]

i think that if you completly believe and its truly what you love to do then of course you are a mermaid!

[Mermaid Sirena]

You are a mermaid, swimming or not doesn't change that :)

[Princess Kae-Leah]

I've been scared of the water for just about as long as I can remember, other than bathtubs and those little plastic kiddie pools. I haven't set foot in a swimming pool in more than a decade, and the fact that so many people pee in public pools makes me feel germaphobic, even though, yes, that's what's the chlorine's for and pee's supposedly not even that toxic(I sure hope none of you pee in pools on purpose! Accidents happen, sure, but you wouldn't believe how many people think it's fun to pee in pools!). Plus, I can't stand the smell of chlorine, ew! I'm one hydrophobic mermaid!

[New York Mermaid]

most pools have a chemical in it which if someone pees in the pool it will change to a dark color around that person notifying people. Ive witness this myself at our local pool, that would be the mothers fault for not putting on the swimmables pampers

[Princess Kae-Leah]

@Lanai, really, such a chemical actually exists? I always thought that was an urban legend!

[AniaR]

youre totally in more danger from the chemicals than someone peeing. pee gets nulified by the stuff in there. a lot of swimmers end up with lung problems because the chemicals off gas right onto the surface of the water and when they take a breath they dont go up out of the water far enough and breath in the chemicals. my best friend's husband is a chemical guy. (not all chemicals are bad ) he wont swim in pools or go in hot tubs because he knows how bad the chemicals arelol

[Princess Kae-Leah]

@Raina, yeah I've heard before how bad chlorine is for you! I'm thinking of getting a kiddie pool so I can at least sit in the backyard in the pool and flick my tail, does anything think that'll be worth the money?

[New York Mermaid]

youre totally in more danger from the chemicals than someone peeing. pee gets nulified by the stuff in there. a lot of swimmers end up with lung problems because the chemicals off gas right onto the surface of the water and when they take a breath they dont go up out of the water far enough and breath in the chemicals. my best friend's husband is a chemical guy. (not all chemicals are bad ) he wont swim in pools or go in hot tubs because he knows how bad the chemicals arelol

^Which is why Im more of an ocean girl. I rarely go to pools unless, its a kiddie pool (one of those inflatable ones) or my nieces are having lessons in the community pool.

[Princess Kae-Leah]

Are there any other "drymaids" here? I'd like to figure out what percentage of the mer-fandom actually swims in their tail and how many, like moi, just enjoy dressing up and taking pictures?

Why I feel like a mermaid, even though I don't swim:
#1-I'm asexual, and fish are biologically asexual!
#2-I'm on a strict Terrestetarian diet, which means I don't eat seafood of any kind(no offense intended to those here who do, there's plenty of room here for mers who view as friends as well as food!) although I still eat beef, chicken, etc. I love fishies and sea creatures so much that to me eating them is no less unappealing than eating a puppy or kitten.
#3-See my sig line! ;)

[K Swim]

I used to be terrible at swimming. I once was only able to keep my head above the water while in deep water and move around very slowly, but only recently improved.

Today I still don't move very fast, but since entering the hobby of mermaid tail swimming, the determination to get better is now there and I am finding that I can move faster while wearing a tail than without one.

[Echidna]

I know this is an ancient thread, but there are some misconceptions here.


that would be the mothers fault for not putting on the swimmables pampers

"swimming diapers", which are used for infants and the insanely popular infamous "baby swimming courses" are NOT waterproof. Meaning, they are not meant to hold in the pee, it all goes directly into the water. The diapers are meant to hold back poop.
Still, any awkward movement can cause something to fall out. I cannot count the times I've found poop in pools, especially on days when the baby courses are held.


youre totally in more danger from the chemicals than someone peeing. pee gets nulified by the stuff in there. a lot of swimmers end up with lung problems because the chemicals off gas right onto the surface of the water and when they take a breath they dont go up out of the water far enough and breath in the chemicals. my best friend's husband is a chemical guy. (not all chemicals are bad ) he wont swim in pools or go in hot tubs because he knows how bad the chemicals arelol

it's correct that the chemicals which gas off from the surface are very bad, but chlorine does NOT "nullify" pee (that is sadly a very widespread misconception, which makes many people feel totally ok with peeing in the pool).
Instead, peeing CAUSES the harmful gases to form in the first place!
Free chlorine in the water is not very harmful, but chlorine BOUND to contamination (anything someone who hasn't previously showered brings to the pool, and especially and foremost urine) will cause the chlorine to turn into trichloramines, and those are the stuff that harms you.

I wish more people would know this and behave accordingly. I know it differs from country to country, but sadly people in most places are absolute pigs. That might be an insult to pigs, btw. I feel sorry for any mer who doesn't have access to natural water, or their own, properly sanitized pool.