Is this possible?

[Echidna]

I actually was able to swim like this
sort of ish
I was messing around in the pool and trying to swim like a shark and I used more of my upper torso (shoulders to hips) to move.
Never as fast as the dolphin kick, and it gets tiring after a while, aaannndd it looks kind of awkward at times.
But for effect it's not entirely impossible in my opinion!

I have wondered about this too for a long time, and like Nyx said, it might be possible, but:
don't try to do the movement starting in your hips.
Humans don't have the skeleton of a fish; no aquatic mammal does.
Thus, to swim in a similar fashion, we would have to emulate a sea snake.

The movement would almost be the same as the dolphin kick, starting in chest and shoulders, then rippling through the rest of the body in a wave, just not vertically, but undulating from side to side.

If you happen to know SL (SecondLife), there is the "Deepsea Siren"-Avatar which moves in this way, and you can see the movement the knees have to do to make this work.

The next time I can get to a pool I will try this out.
Without a fin it probably won't be great, and I imagine one can't do it for long, as the stress on the spine and knees would become to much, but I'll tell you how it went.

I'd really like to see something like this.
It would be great in a "Deepsea"-kind of tail and costume.
Maybe a shark or seakrait one?

[Echidna]

Just adding the SL Deepsea-Siren pictures here.
Movements seen from the side and from above.

These are the moves that follow from hip and knees after the undulating chest and shoulder movement.
The fluke is between the feet.

[Mer_Adella]

I agree with everyone that our bodies were not meant to move that way.

BUT

I did have an idea that I would like to toss out there just to see if anyone else has thought of it or it may be a possibility. Think of something mechanical (and i dont mean metal because that could damage things) but something where using belldance hipdrops you would be able to move the fin. Example. if you sat in a chair and stretched your legs out and leaned on one buttcheek while lifting the other up, one leg gets shorter...right? what if you had something in the fin (vertical) that you could "step" against that would push the fin to the opporsite side and reverse. ???

Still having problems understanding?

[theMerFanc]

I agree with everyone that our bodies were not meant to move that way.

BUT

I did have an idea that I would like to toss out there just to see if anyone else has thought of it or it may be a possibility. Think of something mechanical (and i dont mean metal because that could damage things) but something where using belldance hipdrops you would be able to move the fin. Example. if you sat in a chair and stretched your legs out and leaned on one buttcheek while lifting the other up, one leg gets shorter...right? what if you had something in the fin (vertical) that you could "step" against that would push the fin to the opporsite side and reverse. ???

Still having problems understanding?

Before this thread was linked to me, I was trying to think how this would work and as a a belly dancing drummer, Iimmediately thought of that movement. A hip pop or a sway rather then bending at the knee.

[MerAnthony]

I don't know how well it worked but I found this.

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6561862.html

It's for swimming.

[Mer_Adella]

ha ha ha ha merantony that is almost exactly what I had envisioned earlier good spotting

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Any word on the paddle thing? I think it is really cool, but I can't find any details on the company at all.

[MermaidBrittany]

The vertical monofin is actual how the mermaids at Weeki Watchi tried to start swimming, but it obviously didn't work out so they tried the other way. I think it is a lot of work to swim that way when the horizontal fin works so well.

[Aino Revontuletar]

Its a really cool idea, but the dude with the paddle and the vertical fin looked so awkward! Not to mention it didn't move him through the water very fast at all. The peddling mechanism looks like it would be way too bulky to work into a tail.I think I would just stick with the horizontal fin, it looks much more natural.

[Mermaid Caspiana]

It is totally possible! I've tried it! it is fun yet tiring. More for photoshoots and short film swims. Basically for cool look and effect. I actually have a drawing of this in one of my albums. An I soooo want that vertical monofin! And like Nyx said you have to really and I mean really use your whole body for this swim.

[Tasha Mermaid]

I dont think it would be swimmable, although i have been thinking along the lines of shark as well for a male tail (its gotta be real "manly to convince any males i know to join me *rolls eyes*) and my thoughts were more dolphin style tail but with side fins and back fin like a shark and maybe heel fin to give the "shark tail" look, i mean in general i figure a "real" mer would likely have a dolphin style tail them a fish as we swim like dolphins up and down not like fish from side to side (tail i mean)

[Echidna]

Might want to add; this is a completely human avatar, just with attached fins and a large, trailing floppy fluke between the feet.

This look could be similarly achieved by wearing a thin neoprene suit in such colours, some makeup on the still visible skin parts, and a vertical fluke design.

[MerMar]

The paddles! great tool for disable in land merpeople. What do you think on studying it?

[theMerFanc]

I have always loved sharks and it was the idea of a 'sharkmaid' that originally had me even think about mermaiding. If this was possible and there was someone willing to work on a custom tail I would be so in!

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Or you could save yourself the hassle and injuries, by learning to swim in sideways only. Then you can make your tail with shark dorsal on one side etc.

[Mermaid Kelda]

Or you could save yourself the hassle and injuries, by learning to swim in sideways only. Then you can make your tail with shark dorsal on one side etc.

I've actually considered making a shark suit like this so the dorsal fin is on one shoulder. I actually find swimming sideways (like, totally sideways) is a good style for casual movement since you can easily keep your head above the water.

[darksiren]

I've been thinking very hard about this, because I want to have one persona which is decidedly predatory. I've tried to swim in this manner, and i did eventually get fairly good speed. it's very tiring though, because i used little, rapid motions to propel me. I WILL be making a prototype shark fluke at some point. it WILL happen!!

[theMerFanc]

I've already started figuring out a fin. I'm one of those people who really doesn't care about my body. I'd rather die I having fun or break my body doing something I love then letting age get to me. I AM DETERMINED. Dark siren, we can be shark buddies.


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[theMerFanc]

Ok. So I was looking at Google images for shark tailed mermaids for ideas and I noticed some of them are long. Mi don't know about physics at all but I feel like if the tail was longer then the legs and the average mertails, would that make it easier or safer to swim in?

This is one picture I found that looked like a longer tail. http://hauket.deviantart.com/art/Sha...maid-434731204


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[Mermaid Jaffa]

You could seriously hurt your spine swimming sideways like what you wanted. Might end up with bad back problems or even a paraplegic. Human spines are not designed the same way as shark spines. We were never meant to swim so uncomfortably like that.