So, I've been a pro mermaid now for almost 6 years. 4 of them have been spent in maximum overdrive, 2 were spent doing a lot of volunteer stuff. I have experienced loads of health things that are directly related to swimming as a mermaid. Some are obvious, some not so much... let's talk about em! FYI this is specifically about POOLS. I will be discussing other risk areas like lakes and oceans in another thread, since there are things unique to only them.

disclaimer: while I am a mermaid professional, I do not replace the advice of your physician!

So there's the obvious:

  • muscle cramping and discomfort from swimming with a monofin. We've talked about this to death on the forum, but the only way of really coping with it is to eat and drink properly, enjoy potassium and magnesium, stay hydrated, and prevent foot blisters with either tape or booties or half booties. See more on my thread about blisters.
  • Chlorine: again, something we've spoken about a lot on the forum, there's a whole thread about how to deal with it from your head to your toe to your tails, here.
  • Drowning: Yup, that shit happens! Please don't be the first mermaid to drown in your tail, we will be all screwed. Learn the signs here. Also, no running on the pool deck
  • Back injuries: more so happen to the merwranglers and mertenders. If it can be helped, DO NOT BEND OVER TO PICK UP A MERMAID. Do not twist! And be sure to lift with your legs. If a mermaid can get herself onto something so they aren't on the floor, or if they can temporarily stand in their tail for the person to pick them up, this is safer for all involved and will prevent back injury.


Then there's the not so obvious, all of which I've experienced:
  • Ear infections: frequent exposure to water can cause ear infections! You can avoid them by wearing ear plugs (I wear clear malleable silicone and it works great and I NEVER have a problem with kids noticing. I don't swim that deep during parties, so they're perfect.) You can also do preventative care by putting a drop or two of ear drops before and after in your ears. (coming right from my doctor, and yes I do it ever time!) If you get an ear infection, don't go swimming again! Take ibuprofine or tylenol to help with pain. You can get antibiotic drops over the counter. You may need to see your doc and get oral antibiotics. They tend to clear up quickly if you don't have other ear problems or health problems.
  • Sinus Infections and Nasal Drip: if this is a reoccurring problem for you, you may need to approach your doctor about specific prescription nasal spray or pills. And I hate to say it, you might get stuck with a nose plug. For preventative care, plug your nose when you dive down or go under. Even if you just hold it for the first few seconds when you go under, when you let go, the pressure will keep water out. That's what I do, and it is rarely a problem. Noses tend to become problems when you do backflips, and go deep enough to require equalization. I have found using Sinu Rinse before/after gigs to really help prevent both nose and ear infections. It's not for everyone but it helps. If you get a sinus infection or bad drip, see your doctor you may require a prescription.
  • Fungal Infections/Warts etc: dirty pools! Ew! Bring flip flops or shoes if you're allowed onto the pool deck and minimize your contact with the pool deck directly on your skin when possible. Lay out a mat or tail when you're getting ready, and shower before/after AT HOME. Putting coconut oil on your skin will not only help prevent chlorine burn but provides a temporary barrier as well until you're submerged for a while. If you get a fungal infection or wart there are many over the counter treatments and doctor treatments available. Once after walking for about 5 seconds on dirty pool deck after a gig, I got a pain in my foot. that little pain turned into a bad wart (ew!). I went to the doc and while she gave me treatments they weren't really working. So one day she wrapped my foot in hockey tape and told me not to take that off for 2 weeks, it should suffocate it and kill it. It totally did! I occasionally now after so much exposure to pool decks will get the startings of a wart. I put the hockey tape on, and BAM that stuff is gone. Hockey tape: our solution to everything in Canada.
  • Conjunctivitis/Eye infections/Pink Eye: I did a lot of research on this including speaking with an optometrist. The burning you get in your eyes when you're in chlorine? It's not just chemicals, it's literally because your eyes are fighting infection the whole time. Sometimes, contacts can lessen that (or in very rare cases, make it worse. So be sure to talk to your doc before swimming with contacts)Preventative care is obvious but not always doable when you're a mermaid: don't open your eyes underwater. But hey, we're mermaids, we need to! So, use a moisturizing eye drops several times before going into the pool. When you get out, if you can, do a saline flush or an eyewash. After that, it's 100% okay to put anti-bacterial/viral eye drops in your eyes. We're taught that we should use them sparingly but in an instance like this I have both been told and read on official websites that you can use them to prevent the conjunctivitis. They warn people not to use it too much BECAUSE people often use it when they don't need it. but if you've been in a chlorine pool your eyes ARE fighting it. So give them a boost with a drop or two of over the counter pink eye meds. A drop or two after each gig won't hurt you, and it'll save your eyes.
  • Cryptosporidium: now we get to the illness that prompted me to write this because I am experiencing it right now. ugh. Shortened to crypto. It's a parasite! It happens when kids have diarrhea in the pool ew and the pool doesn't properly clean/shut down the pool! In order to kill it, the pool must be sanitized for 12 hours without anyone else coming in. This buy can live in pools for 2-3 weeks if not treated properly. Rec and Sport pools tend to be killer at killing this, but hotel pools, not so much. And lemme tell you, you don't want this bug. The only way to get it is to drink contaminated water or swim in a pool with it. Preventative: don't swim in dirty pools, lol and don't drink the water. Sometimes you can't help it. Pools aren't honest with you (what just happened to me!) or they have someone cleaning the pool who doesn't know what they're doing (happens a lot!) and you just don't know. If you get stuck with it, it can feel a lot like the stomach flu and you treat it the same way. For more info go to the CDC website.


These are the main health risks you take when you perform/do an event in a public pool! So keep it safe swimming my fishies!