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Thread: Convincing an aquarium to mermaid

  1. #1

    Convincing an aquarium to mermaid

    A few days ago, a friend of mine had tipped me off about a job fair for a variety of jobs around the new Orlando Eye. The new attractions included the new farris wheel, a zip line, a wax museum, and an aquarium with a glass tunnel. I brought my resume and a picture of me in my tail, thinking that they were hiring for mermaids- and it turned out that they were hiring for "show divers", people with dive certifications who could scuba into the tanks.

    Anyway, they weren't having my offer for mermaiding at the job fair, as they were only looking for grunt workers.

    For those of you who currently work in aquariums, how did you get your job? What advice would you give me to try working with this aquarium?


    ~Mermaid Celeste: The Orlando Mermaid~
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  2. #2
    Senior Member Pod of The South Carolina Mermaid's Avatar
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    I would like to know this as well...the sc aquarium needs a permanent mermaid

  3. #3
    I tried emailing the aquarium in Kansas City and never heard back Good luck though!!!!

  4. #4
    Senior Member Undisclosed Pod
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    it really seems like most aquariums want people who have diving credentials and liability insurance.

  5. #5
    How do you get liability insurance?


    ~Mermaid Celeste: The Orlando Mermaid~
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  6. #6
    Senior Member Undisclosed Pod
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    you should have it if you're doing mermaiding as a job. most better paying gigs/bigger venues wont hire you without it and honestly you take a big risk working in water and around kids without insurance. Just get some quotes from insurance agents on limited liability insurance for your mermaid company. Tell them what you do, aprox how often, and aprox what you make and they'll give you a quote. My entire company only pays 130$ a month which sounds like a lot but we insure 5 girls, all our gear and tails, we're protected if we harm someone or something, if a tail gets stolen or badly damaged, if we get injured, and acts of nature. It's not the same as performers insurance which people often pay for each performance. This is a yearly thing and since it's just you yours wouldnt be as expensive as ours. we're insured for up to 5 million.

    Honestly insurance is one of those things people hum and haw about but if you're going to have any business it's best to just get it. And in our case where we're at higher risk? Just smart. Opens many doors. One of the first things bigger venues will ask you for and most aquariums. (i researched aquariums for my first book and reached out to the ones that employed mermaids at the time)

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by AniaR View Post
    it really seems like most aquariums want people who have diving credentials and liability insurance.
    I second that.
    I got an opportunity to be a merman at the giant Aquarium of Paris. The idea was to be Claire's merman partner in her mermaid show.
    To be hired, the staff asked me to do a professional diving course so I can get a diving certificate for liability insurance and safety. So I went to see a doctor specialized in diving training to get his approval and unfortunately I didn't fit the criteria...
    I'm born deaf and I still have some precious audition left. If I engage in a diving course, it would have been very risky for my ears. I can dive and swim just like Raina but I just can't go further the levels of pros. There were deaf divers in the past but contrary to me, they didn't have anything to lose.

    So that was it. I lost my biggest opportunity. But when a door closes, another one opens. I fairly believe that.

    Some aquariums are open to the idea as long as you are trained for diving. If you are not, they just can't take risks.


  8. #8
    Senior Member Pod of Oceania Mer-Crazy's Avatar
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    Do you guys mean like scuba diving certified or free diving or does it not matter?

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Mermaid Selene View Post
    Do you guys mean like scuba diving certified or free diving or does it not matter?
    I'm not sure. Both I guess?


  10. #10
    Senior Member Pod of Oceania Trident True's Avatar
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    if you work under a business number.. or as a sole trader places like this may take you on.. but all sole traders will need liability insurance which covers you if something happens. As you are working in water, it could be a hazard and owners don't want to have the responsibility if something does wrong.

    you could also say that this type of work is more Unusual to most people.. take the Circus for Example. have you ever see an Advertisement for a job in the circus???

    Can someone please get me back to the ocean before I suffocate... I need the water......





  11. #11
    Mermaid Celeste, as an avid scuba diver and sometimes professional aquarist, I am rather offended by your use of the term "grunt workers"

    Not trying to derail the thread or kill anyone's dreams here, but professional scuba divers are highly trained and skilled. Diving in an aquarium, which is usually a much more enclosed space than an open water dive, requires even more buoyancy/motor control and awareness of your environment. It's important to have a familiarity with all aspects of underwater safety as well as aquarium operations and procedures. So, as much as I love mermaid shows and would love to mermaid in an aquarium myself, I can definitely understand why a lot of aquariums don't have mermaid shows, and why the ones that do have rigorous criteria for their performers to fulfill.

  12. #12
    By the way, Arion, I am so sorry you weren't able to get dive certified I'm hoping that someday soon medical technology and/or dive technology will progress enough to allow people with ear problems to find a way to dive.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Theobromine View Post
    By the way, Arion, I am so sorry you weren't able to get dive certified I'm hoping that someday soon medical technology and/or dive technology will progress enough to allow people with ear problems to find a way to dive.
    Thank you
    I guess it just wasn't meant to be yet.


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  14. #14
    I can't go any deer than 10ft or I rupture my left ear drum.
    My ears can barely equalize on a plane and it's even worse underwater.
    Mermaid Enora

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Theobromine View Post
    Mermaid Celeste, as an avid scuba diver and sometimes professional aquarist, I am rather offended by your use of the term "grunt workers" .
    I didn't mean to offend, I was referring to the ride operators, food vendors, docents, etc. that get paid minimum wage- not the divers. Even on the website, the diving certifications for the show divers were particularly strict.


    ~Mermaid Celeste: The Orlando Mermaid~
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  16. #16
    Senior Member Undisclosed Pod
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    I can't go any deer than 10ft or I rupture my left ear drum.
    My ears can barely equalize on a plane and it's even worse underwater.
    I get that. I cant go past 12. I'd like to be scuba certified but I have yet to solve the issue of rupturing ear drums. I am on a wait list for a specialist.

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by AniaR View Post
    I get that. I cant go past 12. I'd like to be scuba certified but I have yet to solve the issue of rupturing ear drums. I am on a wait list for a specialist.
    I take back everything I've ever said or thought about my ears. I can dive (albeit descending slowly) just fine and free dive as deep as I can hold my breath for. I'm so sorry for those of you who can't.
    Hugs, fishes, and mermaid kisses!

  18. #18
    Senior Member Undisclosed Pod Coradion's Avatar
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    I used to work at Waikiki aquarium and some aquariums feel that a mermaid cheapens the feel. You don't devote hundreds of thousands of dollars to an exhibit only to have people come to see someone swim in a fake tail. To some they feel it can detract from the experience and the science.

  19. #19
    Yeah, I know a lot of aquarists who feel that mermaids would detract from the educational and scientific aspect. As a scientist myself, I can't really say that I disagree, honestly. I'm at least as passionate about science as I am about being a mermaid.

    PS, thanks for the clarification, Celeste!

  20. #20
    Senior Member Undisclosed Pod Coradion's Avatar
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    Yeah... I like both but I feel my work with fishes and larval rearing is infinitely more valuable than being a merman. While being a Mer may make outreach easier it's hard to be taken seriously in the sciences if you have any "fluff" at all to your projects. Hence why abstracts can be so dull to read.

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