This is a fun introduction to mermaiding for beginner to intermediate mermaids, and the first step towards becomming a PADI Mermaid Instructor. No experience is necessary, but you must know how to swim.  If you already have a tail and regularly swim as mermaid, this class will help you sharpen your technique, and develop healthy diving habits.

Prerequisites: You must be over the age of 10.  Able to swim 50m/160 feet without the use of swim aids. And able to float comfortably at the surface for 5 minutes.

Tail: We will provide a tail, mask and snorkel for your use during the class. If you have your own tail, mask and snorkel, please bring it!

Timing: The PADI Mermaid Course is typically set up over one very full day, as the classroom knowledge development segments of this course are now offered online! You can complete the e-learning for this course ahead of time thru PADI.com, skip the book work on vacation and complete the fun in-water training in Maui! Our PADI Mermaid training day begins at 8am and ends by 4:30pm.

Course Layout: This class involves e-learning, confined water (pool) training, and a Breath Hold Clinic. There are two e-learning segments of knowledge development sessions covering mermaid culture, safety considerations of swimming in a tail, breathing techniques for diving, varying ascents and descents, swim strokes, how to choose mermaid gear, etc. Once your online e-learning has been completed, we meet for a very full in-water day.

There are two confined water sessions in the pool working with technique, swim drills, rescue skills, long distance swimming, turns and tricks, and one breath hold clinic focusing on relaxation techniques. In this clinic, we take your breath hold to your personal best within a safe, supported, shallow area of the pool. Learn how to buddy someone attempting a breath hold, how to extend your personal best and tips to make your home practice pay off!

Certification: Successfully completing this course means you will receive a customized PADI Mermaid certification card e-mailed to you. This card shows that you are a trained mermaid – comfortable and confident swimming in and exiting a tail, that you have extensive knowledge in the field of mermaiding and have mastered the beginner to intermediate techniques.  This certification card may be valuable when applying to swim at pools that have restrictions regarding tails. It does not qualify you to teach mermaid classes.

Upcoming Class Dates in 2023:

Saturday, June 10th.

Please email us to set up a course on specific days convenient for you outside of those dates! inspire@mindfulmermaids.com

Dive deeper into mermaiding with this in-depth waterwoman course. Improve your comfort level in the water by learning how to read ocean conditions, navigate currents, interact with sea life safely; and become a responsible buddy, knowledgeable in rescues and assists. This class covers how to properly weight yourself in a mermaid tail, entries and exits in the ocean, advanced breath hold techniques, and includes an underwater photo session!

Tail: We will provide a tail, mask and snorkel for your use during the class. If you have your own tail, mask and snorkel, or weight belt, please bring it!

Timing:  PADI has a fintastic online e-learning for this course, so you can study the theory and knowledge development conveniently online before we meet. This allows our time together to be focused outdoors near/in the water, instead of inside a classroom! The Advanced Mermaid course is set out over one extremely full day from 7-4pm. There is one knowledge development review session to be completed online via your e-learning, two open water sessions in the ocean, and one underwater photoshoot.

Prerequisites:  You must already be a certified PADI Mermaid, or a certified mermaid through another organization (SSI or Naui). You must be over the age of 12. Able to swim 100m/320 feet without the use of swim aids. And able to float comfortably at the surface for ten minutes. You must complete the Diver Medical form and the PADI online e-learning for this course ahead of start date. We can easily set the e-learning up for you and send you as a link.

Course Layout:

Mermaid training begins on the beach at 7am, covering content from your finished PADI e-learning and ends in the ocean before 4pm. Class location will be determined the night before, based ocean conditions for best clarity, mild current, and calm water.

Our course involves a classrom session learning how to read ocean conditions, the best ways to enter in a tail, and waterwoman safety logistics, as well as 2 Open Water Training Sessions followed by an Open water Dive focused on photography.

Open Water Dive 1 covers proper weighting to stay down comfortably in a tail, while still being slightly buoyant for ease of swimming back up and safety. We will do multiple dives in the ocean acting as the mermaid diver in a tail, and also buddying while wearing bi-fins to support a mermaid friend who is diving. We will cover long distance swim techniques and how to assist a diver experiencing loss of motor control (LMC) at the surface.

We will take a break for snacks, sunscreen and water, while doing our briefing covering Open Water Session number 2. During this dive, you will learn techniques for buddying with flotation and meeting a diver who has gone to depth and escorting them the last third of their ascent. We will also cover in great detail how to rescue a diver simulating an underwater blackout including bringing them up to the surface, simulating rescue breaths and towing them towards safety. We will practice solo as well as team tricks that require your mersisters to complete.

After a break for lunch, you’ll meet your new Finfolk Productions professional tail (!) and try on tops for the photoshoot in Dive 3. Open Water Dive number 3 is an underwater photo session, yielding 5-10 underwater images of you swimming freely over the reef in your mermaid tail. Videos are available upon request as an add-on charge of $40.

Certification: Successfully completing this course means you will receive a customized PADI Advanced Mermaid certification card e-mailed to you. This card shows that you are an Advanced trained mermaid – that you have experience swimming in the ocean in a tail and are comfortable and confident in conditions similar to those which you have been trained.  It shows you have successfully mastered advanced techniques and are knowledgeable in safety, buddy techniques and in-water rescues. This Advanced certification may be valuable when applying to swim at pools that have restrictions regarding tails, when joining a mermaid club, or when organizing your own mermaid meet-up swims. It does not qualify you to teach mermaid classes.

Upcoming Class Dates in 2023:

Sunday, June 11th.

Please email us to set up a course on specific days convenient for you outside of those dates! inspire@mindfulmermaids.com