I think I'm one of those rare cases where I got a silicone tail instead of starting out with fabric or neoprene. I definitely would not recommend it for just anyone. I had a feeling I'd be good at it because I'm very confident in the water, and I had a bunch of people watching me my first time to make sure I was okay. I took it really slow and didn't push myself, but even to this day with all my practice, there are still things I can't quite do, such as hover in the water instead of standing on the fluke.
Dry events are a whole other story as well. I did a boo at the zoo event, it was 8 hours of sitting on a rock prop in my merbellas tail. Let me tell you, the sweat was unbearable. That along with the fact that I used lotion to slide into my tail made for a really gross sticky mess. I couldn't flop my fluke for the kids because that much weight on my feet would cause cramping. In the end I took my feet out of my foot pockets and just had my tail hanging to take the stress off my muscles. Definitely not for beginners, but I'm willing to put up with the hassle and discomfort just for the realistic look and feel of it alone. And cleaning it, don't even get me started. Its such a chore! I can't just throw it in the washer like a fabric tail. That thing gets a full on baking soda bath when it gets home. And drying it is an event all its own, since I don't have a drying stand and I live in this tiny apartment.
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