flying fish...er..merfolk!

[Mermaid Momo]

hi1 i'm just wondering, how in the world would i get good lift out of the water, you know, as one of those classic merfolk leaps. It doesn't have to be 5 ft in the air XD but good air that's enough to create that awe factor would be nice. all i get now is sort of a lake monster look as in my back skims the surface of the water. I'm thinking of pushing really hard off of the bottom of the pool at a diagnol(sp?) do you think that would work?

[Mermaid Crystal]

I dont know because gravity can be a damper on the leap though.. good luck

[Mermaid Rillia]

there are a few vids on youtube. Try monofin jump first. that should lead you in the right direction :)

[Lyna]

interesting...are there video's of mer's doing this?

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

I have no idea about doing it in person, though with the right push from the floor and thrust from flippers, it's possible to burst from the water briefly, if not with all of your body at once (you can, however, finish it up with the traditional fin/fluke wave/splash when submerging again). Also, in a beach with decent waves that lift your body in midway-deep water, you might be able to make more impressive leaps.

On a similar note, I made a merman character for Courtney's Underwater Tales rpg who actually was half flying fish, and I have some costume ideas involving isis wings for the character.

[Mermaid Momo]

your character sounds so awesome!

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Here's my character's full bio:

Name: Martin
Gender: Male
Species: Mid-Atlantic Melusine ("Sirenium Lusignan Atlans")

Overall Description: Martin is a long, lanky, streamlined merman, with dark brown (nearly black) hair that coils in wavy curls to his shoulders in the air and billows around his head in the water. His skin is noticeably Mediterranean, but pale, and easily sunburnt. His tail (which is about three times as long as his human torso) actually begins around his hips, but patches of tiny scales reach up his stomach and back as well, and his arms have long retractable fins (like very long sleeves) that spread out into flying fish fins, enabling him to glide through the air. He has a second, smaller (2.5ft) pair of fins around where his knees would be if he were human, and his tail fins are forked like a flying fish's, but seem to fan out more and catch the light, while providing greater thrust. His seemingly eye-catching scale color actually is an evolutionary feature that lets him blend in with the water along the Jersey shore and the Delaware Coast. His eyes are a deep brown, though they look sleepy all the time.
Tail Color: Iridescent scales... like the colors of oil on water

History: Martin grew up among humans, but the connection to the sea was always there, calling to him more deeply than it ever did to his sister or friends. Interestingly, Martin's voice never aquired the rich tonal qualities of other mers... he couldn't sing a siren song, but he did have his "wing fins". He has studied mythology in general and accounts of merfolk in particular, and he is certain he isn't the only one, but he has yet to meet another.
Mer Relatives & Family: His parents taught him to swim from an early age, but he believes that he is the only one in his family to be born a merman, adapting around puberty from a mostly human form to his current state.
Pod: Chesapeake Pod
Home Waters: The Delaware River, Ocean City NJ, Ocean City MD, Bethany Beach, and Rehoboth

[Nyx]

Well depending on how deep the pool is . . .
if it was 10 feet or so deep, you could swim from the very bottom as fast as you can and possibly get some air.
On the other hand, if the water is very shallow then just kick from the floor.
You should try jumping back and doing a backflip in the process.
I was doing that yesterday, you don't really get to high out of the water but it looks kind of cool and it feels awesome XD