Silicone tail

[Coradion]

I wouldn't do it. All the reasons Aradia gave are sound. It's just not a good plan.

[Gem Stone]

I am also a scuba diver and I don't think diving in a tail is worth the risk. It might work, but the risks are too high in my opinion. If something went wrong, you might have to cut off your tail or leave it down in the water. Is it worth possibly loosing your tail forever? I can see possibly taking a breath off someone else, but only if it's one and you aren't too deep. Any more of depth or breathing and the nitrogen could become an issue. I have buddy breathed in a tail before in an eight foot pool, and I can say from expirence that it's weird and almost uncomfortable to breath off of someone else and after a while you have to come up for fresh air anyway. It can, however, be beneficial to help stay down longer, but I'd rather just learn how to hold my breath longer. The otter bay suits look cool, but the boyuncy is definately an issue. If you touch something under water, chances are it will hurt you. So having to put your knees down to look at something is not a good habit to have. But if anyone really wants to try scuba diving in a tail IN SHALLOW WATERS (I cannot stress that enough) there is a type of bc that is like a circle around your head and straps in the back. The tank is in front of you making dolphin kicking easier but they are hard to come by the last time I checked. The tank is, however, smaller than a normal one and can only hold so much air. The bc is clumsy on the surface but once you're under it's fine. Again, I strongly suggest not doing it.

[green52]

I still think that this is doable. I think the general concern is very well placed: anything outside of standard equipment and training should be approached with extreme caution. However, most of the concerns are inspecific.

I brought this up recently over dinner with some other divers, and they were rather blase about it. Without any leading on my part, their first responses were that so long as it was carried out by an experienced diver with caution, it shouldn't really be more dangerous than diving with a monofin. I pointed out that a monofin would be easier to get off, and they responded that a properly designed tail could be easily removed, and then added that they had trouble envisioning a situation in which immediate removal would pose a dire safety issue.

Again, I would approach it with more trepidation than they would, however that might be because I don't have as many dives as them. Anyway, I think its doable.

[Capt Nemo]

Comments in quote.

So I quickly looked up the Otter Bay mermaid suits,

http://www.otterbaysuits.com/Videos/OtterbayMermaid.mpg

Safety Concern 1:
Note how she kneels on the sand to take a look at something under a ledge, that is improper buoyancy and a really dumb way to dive. If you don't have proper buoyancy and you're on a reef than the likelihood is that you'll be destroying coral and critters. I say its a safety concern because a friend of mine kneeled down once and manage to go straight on a numbray so he got an electric shock. That was rather amusing but it would've been a lot less amusing if it had been on a hidden blue ringed octopus.

Being on the sand bottom is not considered improper buoyancy! She only needs enough weight to counteract the wetsuit at depth, and if she decended on a line, she probably dropped a belt there to be picked up for ascent. Remember, as she decends, her suit will be less buoyant and will need less weight to stay neutral.

Safety Concern 2:
From that video the diver is missing a key piece of equipment which is a BCD, i'm not sure how she will manage to float on the surface without one. Also on the surface without a BCD she'd have to support herself + her tank + the weights just by repeatedly dolphin kicking. If the boat isn't there, if the current carried you off, if you got disoriented this would be a big problem.

Not absolutely needed! If there's any surface floatation problem, the weightbelt is to be immediatly dropped!!! If you're certified, you should know that! If after that, the tank gets ditched. With a full 3mm suit, you should have plenty of flotation with ditched gear. BC's started comming out in the late 60's, but before that, none were worn.

Safety Concern 3:
With the lack of BCD the diver also has stored her Occy (secondary regulator) and Console behind her back. Your occy should be within a triangle on the front of your body, the triangle being from the reg in your mouth to either side of your chest. If your buddy has an issue with their regulator and panicks then it is likely they'll reach for ANY air source which could be the one you're breathing. So you NEED the secondary one to be on hand.

Keeping the octo behind you keeps you streamlined and prevents snags. As long as the octo can be easily brought to service, it doesn't really matter where it's stored. With the octo on a contrasting hose and behind you, the chance of loosing your primary diminishes greatly! Most OOA's come from behind! Keeping the octo on the opposite side of your primary helps too! On Hogarthian rigs, the console/pressure gauge is routinely clipped to the backplate to keep it from dangling.

[Aradia]

All valid points Capt Nemo but I still think the relative risks outweigh the pro's.
I mean, with dropping the weight belt at the line you're assuming you can find your way back to the line. Of course this assumes that your underwater navigation + visibility etc is all fantastic. It also kind of assumes you're happy to lie floating on your back until a boat comes to pick you up which i'd really rather not do if weather turns bad.

I disagree with your opinion on whether having to sit on the sand bottom anytime you want to look at something nor being improper buoyancy, I am a firm believer in hovering. I mean, if you're going to be constantly sitting on the bottom everytime you get tired then you're going to have a heck of a time getting back to the line that contains your weight belt with the bottom stirred up. And sure, you don't NEED a BCD and diving did happen before it started getting used but by that logic you don't NEED dive computers. Nor any advancements but my primary concern is safety so I use all the gear that will make me as safe as possible. I could dive without a working secondary, it has been done before but I am not the safest I can possibly be.

Could a super pro scuba diver complete a dive in a silicone mermaid tail = probably but I don't think its worth the risks :/

[green52]

I'm still curious about this. I'm tempted to try it myself at some point just so we can get some answers.