I need some tail advice merfolk!

[SiaTheMermaid]

Hey there!

Okay, so I really want to order a tail and go swimming ASAPbut I see a lot of advice on here telling people not to go for full silicone for their first tail. Here's my problems;

1. I only have enough money for one tail
2. I would really love for it to be silicone.

Normally (being the responsible person I am) I would go for the fabric first, but if I do this it may mean not getting my silicone tail for another 2-3 years until I have the funds again. You may be wondering "How can you have funds for silicone and not fabric?". Well, I have the exact amount for a silicone tail and sure, if I buy fabric I will have money left over but that's not a good thing. I'm a student who is old enough to party and who has very little saving skills.

I'm buying a tail to use professionally, not just for recreation and I know I will be able to care for it (Thanks for the tips on here everyone!).

So advice? Much appreciated!

[MerEmma]

Do you have enough for shipping as well? Make sure to count that into your money, plus according to your location on the sidebar there you live in Scotland which can make it up to $500.

[SiaTheMermaid]

Yeah I have that aside too, although it would have been ideal if there was tail makers in my own country

[MerEmma]

While everyone here recommends starting with MINIMUM a monofin, it's certainly not required. If you're a strong enough swimmer, know you have places you can swim with it, and realize the (likely minimal!) risk that comes with having never swum in a tail beforehand (meaning you realize you may not like it, it may be painful at first until you get it down, etc.), you can certainly get one!

We all just want everyone to make smart decisions to keep themselves & their bank accounts safe. :)

[SiaTheMermaid]

I was swimming before I could walk and I was known as 'the fish' for much of my life, so I would say I'm a pretty good swimmer! Thanks for your input Emma, I'm grateful :)

[MerEmma]

I'm the same way! I was taking swim lessons before I could walk and I've never had any issues in the water, so I definitely know the feeling!

Congratulations on all the money saved up as well! <3

[SiaTheMermaid]

Thanks :) It wasn't easy, it really wasn't haha. I'm never normally the saving type!

[Kishiko]

Ultimately, it's up to you! We recommend fabric or even a monofin first so you can get used to it, and also so if you decide it's just not right for you, you haven't wasted thousands of dollars. Maybe you could contact the tail maker you want to order from, and see if you order a monofin, if you could send it to them when you're ready, and if they would take the price of the monofin out of the overall cost. Just a thought! Plus then you'll know how to swim with one! (: also if you wanted to, you could get some cheapy swimwear fabric to make a basic skin for it, because you can get performance fabric really cheap when it's on sale! Good luck and congrats on saving up so much!(:

[Mermaid Kelda]

There's nothing inherently wrong with going silicone first; I didn't even own a monofin before I bought my silicone tail, and I wouldn't call myself a fantastic swimmer. But I know my own limits and I'd been wanting a tail for years so it wasn't just on a whim.

As long as you understand the risks and know that the learning curve will be steep, if you stick with it you'll be fine :)

[AniaR]

we often sugest people dont go right to silicone if they have no experience moreso because people underestimate their own capabilities and dont have accurate expectations of tails. But it's just a suggestion. If you think youre up for it go for it. Check out my thread on what to expect with your first tail. For me I needed that learning curb but 2 of my mermaids never swam in anything before silicone and they picked it up quickly.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[Echidna]

There are also quite a few people who discover after trying out their tail (or even just monofin) it's not what they expected, and that they don't like swimming this way after all.

Underwater dolphin is quite a difference to other swim styles as well, and some people find they don't enjoy it for various reasons (having constantly water in your ears and nose, for example).

Add to that the hassle of handling a heavy silicone prostethic, and you can imagine why many first-tail owners are discouraged after their first swim session.

[SiaTheMermaid]

Thanks for the input everyone! I realise it's going to be difficult but when is anything super easy? :) Raina, I've watched your tailcare vlog and I'm the researching type so I've spent forever looking up how to look after a silicone tail, so I wont be going in blind.

[Theta]

I also just want to throw in here that wearing a silicone tail can be hell on your body. If you have knee or ankle problems, I would think very carefully about going the silicone route, because they are so restrictive (I remember in some thread someplace talking about how people cried the first time they put them on, and I was like, yay, I'm not alone in that!) So starting off with fabric is a good litmus test to determine if you can handle the weird stresses of having your legs held together for prolonged periods of time. But whatever works for you works for you :)

[SiaTheMermaid]

I don't have any such problems (Yet!) so I'm hoping I'll be okay.