IamA Professional MERMAID AMA!

Please give me a list of the waterproof makeup you use! Any recommendations?

I use makeup forevers Underwater Aqua line. They have a sealer you can use on any other make. Hard Candy also has a killer actual water proof eyelash mascara, and some of their liquid eye shadows while not officially waterproof, stay on perfectly fine for me. Currently I wear the Ariel line from Sephora with MUFE aqua over top to seal it.

What is your favorite part about being a mermaid?

What is your most memorable experience?

Supgirl. I'm hungry for sure. ;) (Love the username) My favourite part is my ability to really become a character. If you wear any other costume it doesn't really enable you to do anything. Angel or fairy wings wont make you fly. A super hero suit wont make you strong. But a mermaid tail? That thing will be an extension of your body and make you super strong through the water.

I think my most memorable experience was the photo I shared (in the link above) that went to #1 on here. It ended up going viral on loads of sites, Tosh.0 referenced it, and it was on the news. Plus the kid used it as his profile on facebook hahaha. It was pretty wild. Wont be forgetting it anytime soon.

haha thanks. and thanks for answering my questions. That picture is really cute. I love the shirt he is wearing.

Live Hard Play Hard. It was pretty appropriate. Hahaha.

How do you see clearly underwater with no goggles? Do you wear special contacts or something?

nope. It's just getting acclimatized and making sure I take care of my eyes before and after. Everything is pretty blurry. I've been doing it for a few years now so my eyes are pretty used to it. Fresh water and salt water are a lot easier than chlorine.

Really? For the life of me, I can't open my eyes in salt water. Grew up around chlorine pools and never had an issue, just small irritation. I'm genuinely surprised by this.

I mean I still get out and put drops in my eyes and sometimes have hazy vision... But I'm in the water 3-4 times a week I just got used to it lol. Sometimes a special type of milk can apparently help (I have never tried it though)

Good to know. Lactose intolerant so the milk may not be a help. Cool to know there are things to help with it tho. Keep up the good work! :)

the milk goes in your eyes ;)

Ah, I am not a smart man...

No, you're actually spot on here. If your intestines are lactose intolerant, your eyes might be as well. If you're going to chance it, make sure you try it when you're alone so your friends and family don't have to deal with three megaton nuclear cornea farts. Good luck.

no they aren't wired the same way. I am lactose intolerant too and eye doctor said the type of milk is eh-okay!

I'm so fucking jealous.

I have always wanted to be a mermaid.

EDIT: I suppose I should ask where/when are the auditions? What is expected from someone who would like to be a mermaid? Are you willing to take on someone with lots of training needed? (I'm assuming yes, since mermaids aren't grown on trees). You seem to be based in Canada...where? How difficult would it be for one to commute from the US?

well you can be one you know. www.mermaidtails.net is an index of all the places to buy mermaid tails. You don't need something big and crazy, go give it a try. Life is TOO FREAKING SHORT and swimming with a mermaid tail is TOO FREAKING AWESOME to miss out on!

I bet seven year old you would be so proud of your life right now.

she would :D 7 year old me had a pretty shitty life. I wish I could go back and hug her and tell her life will turn out awesome.

I have neither the money for a tail, nor a place to use one D:

Unless it were for an actual job, of course.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtwnOQg_KH8

you should be able to get a swimsuit material at any fabric store, like Joann Fabrics or whatever. I can't answer where you could try it out, though.

yup swimsuit + monofin is really all you need.

I see you added extra questions! I only have auditions usually once a year, we require high quality tails because of how much work we do. So either people have to wait til we add another tail to the roster, or they get their own. I don't expect people to be amazing swimmers, because I wasn't. A mermaid tail does a lot of the work for people. I do expect a level of comfort in the water though, and a willingness to learn. Must be comfortable working with all peoples and ages, experience with kids is a bonus since kid work makes up half of what we do. One of my mermaids was a mermaid before she joined my company, two others weren't- I taught them. I don't think the border would let you cross though if you were coming to work in Canada unless you had a visa ;)

You don't have to be 'a professional mermaid', per se...you can just be 'a mermaid'. There are a small handful of professional mermaids of note (you might be surprised to learn that this isn't a huge market), but there are hundreds and hundreds, literally dozens of us, of mermaids. With websites and this weird sort of Facebook parallel network, and conventions (this thing in January) and everything

That's true, I suppose. But I still don't have a place to be a mermaid...and I can't afford any hobbies right now. I'd love to be able to do something like this. But I'd have to be able to justify spending money on it by saying that I'm getting income from it.

IE - when I was into horseback riding, I worked for riding lessons.

You don't need a tail to be a [non-professional] mermaid. It doesn't hurt, of course (my comment below not-withstanding), but the tail doesn't make the mermaid. You should just come to the forum and hang out! Depending on where you are, there are probably meetups, too.

You're probably not going to find somebody who is going to buy you a tail to work for them, just because they're pretty expensive ($2500-$3000 for something super-nice) and are made to fit more or less just you, so if it doesn't work out, they're stuck with a tail that's never going to fit anybody else quite right.

If you gain (or lose) weight, you need a new tail made?

well I lost 10lbs after having my custom silicone tail made, up to a point you can wear leggings inside to help it grip and not wrinkle but if you loose too much you need to have it taken in which is what I did. If you gain, silicone will stretch to a point but it puts more stress on it and it's easier to rip.

agreed :D have some fun.

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the camps are usually for specific age groups. I guess they've had problems with young adults trying to rip them off or something.

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No, it's silicone so it's really soft. It does however leave scale imprints on me, and the monofin inside gives my feet blistered if I don't wear special socks!

Raina has it easy.

She doesn't have leg hair.

/r/firstworldmermanproblems

lol omg Vee. <3

I saw you on NBC once I think! Very cool! Have you ever thought of adding a merman?

Actually, you likely saw my awesome mermaid mentor "Hannah Fraser" on NBC :) She's wicked. I don't think any of my tails would fit a merman, but if one wanted to join me and brought his own, that be cool! I actually have a lot of little boys attend events and I think it would be great for them to see a merman.

ever thought of adding a merman?

Well I'd have to move some things around, but....

You can audition in January

Whoa..whoa, Halifax? Like Halifax Nova Scotia? If so, then you must be the last 10th Haligonian on Reddit.

Hmm..ok...a good question. Ever swam in the Harbour? (ew)

Yeah haligonians taking over. And no... Eww!

Wow that was fast thanks. I thought it might be a result of being on a boat or something with kids, and jumping in to swim with the "fish" (human waste). Anyway, my sister's 7th birthday is coming up, and I'll have to see if you may be available. She absolutely LOVES mermaids.

Halifaxmermaids.com :)

How heavy is the tail?

They're each varying weights. My main one I wear is less than 20lbs but it's awkward because its 3ft wide. My next tail that I put Mermaid Naida in, weights 50-60lbs, and my latex tail that Mermaid Mimi wears is about 5. They all weigh more in the water, but are buoyant so you don't realize it til you try to get out.

Raina v Phelps, who takes the gold?

Well, Phelps has already swam in a tail for a Disney add. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fdou0Xa3IfY/SKyb-tHhAOI/AAAAAAAAB-U/bB3aPjdAA78/s400/michael-phelps-Annie-Leibovitz.jpg (Image link) So I think he beats me. lol.

Do you know Twig the Fairy?

I know of her, and she works with some of my mermaid friends in her area. She follows me on some of my social networks but I don't actually know her, no.

Oh good, these are always a good time! How's it going, Raina? Going to hang out in NC soon?

Totally looking forward to it. Prepping all my gear :)

Excellent! Good luck flying all your stuff down there.

I'm just going to drive.

Yeah that's not going to be fun. lol going to mail some stuff ahead of time we think and pack light. It's more about flying the tails down. They dont fit in regular luggage and are such a headache. Plus, explaining them to customs is always fun. lol

Is moisture still the essence of wetness?

always <3

Do you wear your tail when you go swimming outside of shows and events? I guess I'm wondering if it's more of a prop, or something you enjoy using as a swimming tool.

I don't have time for anything recreational usually because I do so many gigs. Usually in the summer I can take it on summer vacation but even then it draws a crowd and I stay in character.

Last summer I was swimming in another province in the ocean in my tail. I was trying to work on my ocean swimming. I was swimming along and I could see this man in the distance. He was right in my path and was swimming right for me. As he got closer I realized I knew him. As soon as he got close to me he had a great big grin, said hello, and told me he wasn't surprised I was a mermaid in the least. He was my oceanography teacher from grade 11- ten years ago. lol randomly swimming in the ocean in another province while I was being a mermaid.

not sure if anyone asked this yet, but do you believe in real mermaids? and if so why? and if not, what do you think mermaid legends really came from?

not really in the sense that the whole mer-community seems to. I was really annoyed by "Mermaids the Body found" because they presented it like it was true when in fact it's a mockumentary. I totally agree and admit that we have no clue what is in our oceans, I just don't think there are half women half fish swimming around down there. Some mer-fans are very specific about how they think mermaids would be (I get yelled at for having knees!) but I think it really probably was just manatee sightings. Of course, I'm a big fan of using your imagination and pretend play with kids etc. There are mermaid legends in every culture, all very different with different origins. My favourite is the Inuit legends of Sedna!

thank you for your reply. like to think myths and legends serve a very real purpose in our lives and i think its great you are a living myth. i am also amazed at your 2 min 30 sec underwater time, do you have any recommendations on what is the best way to train for this? and have you heard of the mammalian dive reflex?

Yes I've heard of it. I have stunted lungs so it's likely I wont go any further. But many I know can do 3-4 minutes, a few rare ones can go beyond. I spoke with my doctor first, I train at the gym, I got my own special make the ping-pong-ball float machine, and spoke with professionals :) Never try breath holding alone ESPECIALLY in the water. You can pass out. If you pass out in the water... not good!

Has any of those believers tried to figure out the biology of a mermaid?

already done: http://mermaidescapades.tumblr.com/post/939234711

not really in the sense that the whole mer-community seems to.

Buh? I never got the sense that basically anybody in the community believed that mermaids were literally real, beyond the odd kid soliciting spells from strangers on the internet (never a good idea).

Have you seen the recent thread I shared where DeepSea news debunked it and how mad people got? lol or how mad they get anytime anyone says mermaids aren't real? lol...

What's the worst accident, if you had one, that you've had being a mermaid?

I've been at this for years and thankfully haven't had anything too bad happen. The worst I seem to do is scrape my chin on the bottom of concrete pools or the bottom of where I'm swimming (sand and rocks) because we keep our eyes open and no goggles. It makes it difficult to judge depth and sometimes you just smash! But I've always got merwranglers around for safety. So thankfully no bad accidents beyond bloody chins.

Do your legs get wet inside the tail while swimming? Or is it more of a water proof seal like they have with swim caps?

Water sometimes gets in through the waist but flows through small holes.

Is it uncomfortable? Do they have zippers on the tail to get in and out easy? What do you do of there is a fire and you need to evacuate?

They're very tight. No zippers. I can get it off in a minute but if there was an emergency my assistant would either pick me up or take it off for me

The lack of mention of either "Pushing Daisies" or "The Chris Isaak Show" here saddens me. Both were great TV.

...

I surprise myself by being able to come up with two shows with mermaids that weren't shows with mermaids being central to them.

So, this is your main job then? It's kinda crazy awesome that you're able to make a living in such a relatively rare performance. I'm assuming you enjoy it, so, congrats!

Yeah I do about 3-4 gigs a week, I also published a book which helps, sell stock photos etc it's all pretty rounded. :)

Hey there mersister, What is your most memorable party ever in your time as a mermaid?

Honestly, I enjoy them all and nothing really stands out at the moment. They certainly all like to grab my boobs a lot to see if my top is real. lol

My friend just won a night being a mermaid at the "Dive Bar"in Sacramento. Any advice for her?

Awesome! I think the Dive Bar mers will give her all the advice she needs, I've never been in their tanks so I don't know specifics. Just be calm in the water and relaxed!

It is my dream to do what you do. What will it take to win a once in a life time opportunity to do what you do, for just one day?

uh well, you can always rent a tail from someone on the list; www.mermaidtails.net or enter the Dive Bar Contest in Sacramento to be a mermaid for a day, or you can make it a job like me and get some ideas from my book www.makemeamermaid.com ;) or go ahead and make yourself a tail and go for a swim!

Just here to say your job looks awesome! My friends and I would play in the neighborhood pool as kids and pretend to be mermaids. We all were Ariel and so went by Ariel 1, Ariel 2 and so on. Real creative, I know. But we would put pool toss rings around our ankles to simulate having a tail. We would have lost our minds if we'd seen you! ;)

all us pro mermaids have stories like that! :)

Jut read through your last AMA. I have no question, but just want to say you seem really awesome. Keep being really awesome. :)

hey, thanks so much and for taking the time to read!

How do I... You know, with the tail and all...

this should explain http://mermaidescapades.tumblr.com/post/939234711

Phew! I thought you were going to tell me you were going to lay eggs and have me fertilize them after you left.

Sexy time has been saved everyone!

who knows, Futurama may be correct

I'm working on becoming a professional centaur. Surprisingly it is hard to find a horse body.

Any advice for someone new to the imaginary creature field?

Someone pulled the centaur comment in the other threads. My hoofed friend, I think your best bet is Photoshop ;)

Can you walk or stand with the tail on? How does it work?

No. I swim in it. I get carried around everywhere else. You can see lots of pics and videos and behind the scenes of us getting around on the Facebook page :)

How was your experience on 22 Minutes and what did you think of Rick Mercer?

I've met him and he is a fantastic dude! His rants are priceless!

22 Minutes was awesome, but Rick hasn't been on the show for a long time. He has his own show. I got to meet Mark Critch though and Shaun. The cast actually treated me like I was the celeb. Haha, everyone took my photo and I actually sat back stage and watched the rest of the filming in my tail. Super nice, super respectful, gave me swag, told me they wanted to write another skit for 2014 so maybe you'll see me again, who knows?

Ya, I know he has his own show. But I was under the impression he still hung around and/or filmed in the same studio. Also wasn't sure when you had been on (I need to read better...haha)

Glad you enjoyed your experience, the show has always been great. Hope they have you back again! Thanks for the reply.

Yeah I did it early in 2013 :) I think he films mostly out of TO now, and then all over the country!

Haligonian here, you're awesome!

thanks so much!

I think I just found my dream job! Do you have to any specific training? I've been swimming competitively since I was 7, would that help?

mermaid performers come from all sorts of backgrounds. My specialty is working with kids because that's what my education is in, but some mers are professional free divers, others are circ performers etc. It's really all about what you can do with the tail. I've known girls who are great swimmers and suck their first time in a tail compared to someone who just knows how to basic swim. It all just depends.

are you hiring?

Not for likely another 6 months. Already got 3 other mermaids and 2 assistants right now :)

Im also fron halifax and this is super cool :)

thanks. halifaxmermaids.com

What is an average day for a Mer-Wrangler like? I'm trying to imagine the mechanics of this, but so far all I've got is a tuna net and an emergency fin hacksaw.

Also, how does it feel to know Rachel Maddow despises you? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xngBJqSRw3w

Finally, I sent this to my older sister, who in realizing she could be doing this instead of writing, unleashed one of the most creative torrents of jealous profanity I have ever heard. Thank you for that.

My merwrangler is also my H.R and Business Admin. person for the whole mermaid business, so he's a busy guy! Typically he does all the heavy lifting (and sometimes wheeling us around) of the mermaids. He does the photography for clients who order photos. He answers questions when we're unable to, hands out cards, is basically our legs, and he's there for our safety. On more than one occasion he's had to jump into the pool to save a kid or take a kid I've saved from the water because lifeguards/parents weren't paying attention.

I don't know who Rachel is I had to google her. I think the context of that article was about the mockumentary Mermaids the body found, which had scary mermaids?

Happy to help. lol

How did you become a mermaid? Did you have to do any kind of physical training before using a tail? Are you an independent entertainer or do you have an agent or something similar?

How I became a mermaid is a super long story best explained in my book: www.makemeamermaid.com I actually was quite ill when I started and was having trouble walking (something I have in common with the first Mermaid, Annette Kellerman). I do not have an agent, I am THE mermaid agent in my area ;) I am independent and have others work for me :)

Thanks for the reply! I have another question, do you do anything with your tail out of water? Like can you walk and stuff?

Can't walk. My poor boyfriend gets stuck carrying or wheeling me around. I do perform for "dry" gigs, but that essentially just has me sitting on a clam shell or a thrown or something and speaking/handing out things. I teach workshops for kids in my tail too, and occasionally when I get invited to speak at universities they ask me to do it in my tail. Which is always funny... addressing adults from the podium... in a tail.

It certainly is a creative way to get the idea across!

thanks so much. I find it very effective.

When you look for mermaids to work for you, do you have a weight requirement or anything like that? Is there a certain look you go for? I noticed that on all the mermaid performer things I've seen online, everyone always has long hair and is usually blonde/bleached, and very skinny. I was wondering if there was a certain look that people look for.

Also, do you wear wigs for different characters? How do you distinguish between characters you play?

No, and actually there are loads of performing mermaids who have short hair (I did for two years- pixie cut!) and many who identify as plus sized.

I don't wear wigs, I'm just one character- "Raina".

Turns out theres mermaids besides Wiki Wachee Florida. Who knew.

there's loads. www.mermaidtales.net should get you an idea. Mermaids are becoming fairly standard in aquariums now, theme parks, and there are many mermaid businesses. There are mermaid conventions. We are taking over.

What would a real mermaid eat and how?

I like chocolate, and going nom nom nom

Have you ever been to Weeki Watchee springs near Tampa Florida to see the Mermaid show there?

Yes, it was lovely. I have photos and video of my page. I've also written several articles about them and am friends with some of the mermaids. They've given me great tips.

I am also a mermaid. I grew up in the sunken city of Atlantis, swimming with dolphins and whales alike. But seing as there are no people to talk to in Atlantis, how do you approach people around the world, above land, without scaring them away?

sometimes I do scare them. That's part of the fun. I enjoy swimming over to people in boats and surprising them. I love freaking the heck out of drunk guys at the beach.

But as far as the average person goes, I find sometimes kids do get a little scared so I always approach calmly and quietly. Adults I like to play tricks on.

Dream job! As a kid, my friends and I would play as mermaids in the pool so it would be so cool to be able to do it as a job. :] What is the best thing a kid has ever said to you at a party? Generally, what size do your mermaids have to be? Tall? Short? Very slim?

It doesn't matter the size because tails are made custom. And everyone is looking at your tail. There are many plus sized mermaids.

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couldn't get any work with my education, and really liked swimming in a tail! "mermaiding" has actually been around for 100 years :) Started with Annette Kellerman.

No question. This is just super cool and reminds me of water ballet which is a similar thing I admire :)

Synchronized swimming was more or less started by the first professional mermaid. :)

Love this! I have several questions, the main being, how do you deal with the breathing? or do you spend most of the time at the surface? How do you train yourself to open your eyes underwater? and, when you give talks, or talk to kids for you gigs, what do you talk about? Do you raise awareness for something or other?

I can hold my breath for 2.5 minutes and spend a lot of time underwater when I do water based events. I became acclimated to being underwater because I've been at this a few times a week for years now. I also use eye drops to prevent infections pretty religiously. I talk about a variety of topics depending on what I'm booked for. Sometimes it's ocean conservation, recycling, that sort of thing. Sometimes I teach about specific ocean creatures and hand around different learning materials. Sometimes I talk to adults about using imagination and play as learning tools. Sometimes I talk about multicultural mermaids and how we're represented in legends around the world. Sometimes I give inspirational talks about following ones dream because it worked out for me. Sometimes I give talks about constructivism education approach. It can also be a combination of all these things.

How many people do you generally get when you talk at a science center, etc.? And did you ever want to be a "mermaid" when you were a kid?

it depends on the event I'm working with. The last two were for an ocean themed event, one event was a sneak peek, the other a Halloween party. So both times it was pretty good amount of people.

I have to ask, is this an accurate representation of Halifax?

oooh picnic face.

Have you ever been to the Sip n Dip Lounge in Great Falls, MT?

Nope.

to misquote SNL, " is it all mackerel down there?" which brings me to my real question, do you often deal with really inappropriate snide comments or really bad puns/pickup lines?

only on the internet. lol

Do you do parties?

yes

Have you received any gifts or presents from mer-fans? If there are too many, which was the weirdest or most memorable?

Lots of drawings from happy kids, lots of ocean related stuff (sea shells, shark eggs, coral)

Those fish tails look awesome; really realistic. Well done. :D

thanks. It was made by my friend Merbellas Studios Inc

I just want to say you are amazing. Its my dream to be a mermaid ever since I saw this video. My breath hold right now is fairly poor but I can do a slow frog kick freedive of 25 meters and am working towards getting better. Did you take any freediving courses like what's offered by Vertical Blue or was it just that you learned slowly on your own?

Edit: I lost the video link.

Thanks. No there is no free diving anything offered on my side of the country.

I read MERMAID MAN and I was disappointed.

hey, he's still awesome.

I know I'm late to the show, but when you're not in water, how do you get around?

muscly arm paperboys.

So... Fish top human bottom, or human top fish bottom? Also do sex how?

this should explain: http://mermaidescapades.tumblr.com/post/939234711

Is wetness the essence of beauty?

MERMAN!

Do you operate within Halifax, or all over Canada/North America?

If so, do you have somewhat close ties with street performers in HRM?

all over, but we operate out of Halifax. And no, while I am friends with a few circus performers, I don't know any street performers in Halifax. The scene in pretty tight, and the Buskers Fest isnt interested in anyone local it seems.

Ah. Reason I asked is I have a friend that does stuff at Halifax Circus. Would have been funny if you happened to know anyone there.

I do know people there :) Kristin wants to be a mermaid someday, if you know her :)

If you had a mermaid husband would you want the top or bottom half fish?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp725C0_qyQ

What's swimming with a mermaid tail like? Does it slow you down quite a bit? Is it much more exhausting than swimming without? Have you noticed your muscle development has changed to specifically meet the needs of swimming with a tail? Sorry lots of questions.

I swim better in a mermaid tail. I never learned to swim (due to health reasons) until I was 17 and could only doggy paddle. I am super fast in my tail, very strong and agile, and it's amazing. It doesn't slow me down at all. I can't even do anything but tread water when I don't have it. But when i do have it I can do tricks and give rides to kids. I have become more toned, it really works your abs, and It has improved my balance quite a bit.

Do you drive a mercedes?

a mer-cedes? totes. lol

How's barnacle boy?

dead. didn't you know?

Just wanna say you're awesome and I'm jealous!

thanks so much. <3

I just came for the pics. You could dominate /r/gonewild. Sorry, no question.

Yes there's quite a lot of mermaid fetishists out there. No judgment from me, but not my cup of tea. Mermaids tend to get harassed quite a lot by people who like to project their fetish without consent. We call em "merverts" lol. People can like what they like, and I don't mind respectful conversation about it, but yeah... we get harassed a lot

So like, you being a mermaid means that, you arent like taking your mermaid tail off when, lets say, youre going to bed..? its on forever?

yes that's obviously what it means.

Can you get drunk?

on what, sea water? No but it'll give you a belly ache ;)

I posed this question a while ago on facebook but never got a satisfactory answer: What do merfolk drink out of? How does it keep the seawater out of whatever you're drinking. What is it made out of to handle the pressure, and how do you overcome that to get the liquid out of it?

did you ask me? I don't remember seeing that one. The Weeki wachee mermaids drink out of coke bottles. (seriously) it's part of their tricks. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keoytSNs6Dg

Can you get drunk and throw your top at posideon

mermaids dont wear tops in the ocean silly human.

Or out of the ocean. I went to Mermaid Parade. I can confirm this.

Nah, I wear octopi out of the ocean: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=740786009289478&set=a.618063141561766.1073741830.183327321702019&type=3&theater

Then how do they have sex

On honey, google exists for a reason. This handy dandy illustration should help: http://mermaidescapades.tumblr.com/post/939234711

A biology pic - you just about had the merverts in a frenzy.

yeah what with the cartoony drawing. lol

can you make my dream of making love with a real mermaid a reality. I promise I'm not ugly! you are beautiful(and maybe you'd think the same of me)

no. But I can introduce you to a lovely sting ray