Introducing the PADI Mermaid Certification in Roatan
Dive into an enchanting journey that transforms your dream of swimming like a mermaid into a reality. Dip your toe into the world of free diving while finding an underwater flow only made possible when wearing a mermaid tail. Stunning Half Moon Bay, Roatan with its crystal-clear waters and vibrant marine life serves as the backdrop as you learn how to become a mermaid.
Rooted in centuries-old folklore, the allure of mermaids continues to captivate our imaginations today. Often we depict mermaids as guardians and protectors of the sea. They serve as a reminder of the importance of protecting and preserving our beloved marine environments.
We’re excited to bring the PADI Mermaid certification to Roatan. Now through March 2024 come learn with our special guest PADI Mermaid Instructor Alanna Canaran. Read on to learn more about this exciting new underwater activity that is captivating the hearts of ocean lovers worldwide. And if you ever imagine what it is like to swim like a mermaid, see which PADI Mermaid experience sounds right for you!
Dive into the World of Mermaiding
Who Should Try Mermaiding
A common misconception is that you have to wear sparkles and sea shells, and have a ‘mersona.’ Until more recently, its also been taboo for men to tap into their inner merman. The truth is that mermaiding can transform you into feeling both playful and powerful.
It certainly can be a whimsical fulfillment of a childhood fantasy. But it can also serve as an expressive outlet and conduit for connecting with nature. Not too mention, that when done professionally it also requires a significant amount of athleticism and physical fitness.
The love for mermaiding spans generations and gender expressions. Furthermore, thanks to the PADI Mermaid Program, it’s an outlet that’s accessible to anyone of any age (6 years and older), shape, size or physical ability.
Some of the most popular merpeople of our time include Mermaid Che’ Monique, China’s National Male Mermaid Champion Mermaid Zhao Xin, Mermaid Blixunami and the women who started it all at the Weeki Wachi Springs.
Through the PADI Mermaid program, you’ll feel a sheer joy and oneness with the ocean when you ‘become’ a mermaid. And that’s an experience that everyone should have!
How to Become a Mermaid in Roatan
We use the principles of free-diving, with specialized mermaid equipment when we teach you how to become a mermaid. Regardless of what level of certification you purse you’ll learn mermaiding techniques that can improve your breath hold and kick techniques and bridge the gap between fiction and reality in a fun way.
Participants learn to manage their breath in a manner similar to freedivers, allowing them to stay underwater longer and move gracefully with a mermaid tail.
Additionally, the program also focuses on developing the dolphin kick which enables smooth, powerful and efficient propulsion through the water. Through the safe integration of freediving principles, the PADI Mermaid program not only teaches the art of becoming a mermaid, but also instills skills and awareness essential for safe and effective underwater exploration.
The PADI Mermaid Program welcomes both non-divers and experienced divers, making it accessible to everyone eager to explore this underwater wonderland. This means we require no prior knowledge to embark on this enchanting journey. In general, the PADI Mermaid Program provides a fun, rewarding and comprehensive approach to mermaiding, with various course levels to build upon.
Recreational Levels:
- Discover Mermaid Experience
- Basic Mermaid Certification
- Mermaid Certification
- Advanced Certification
PADI Mermaid Certification Levels in Detail
Discover Mermaid Experience
The Discover Mermaid experience introduces mermaid activities in shallow water in a controlled environment. Please note that it is not a certification level, but rather an experience designed to be a fun, flexible and informative way to try what it is like to be a mermaid. In short, you have a chance to try mermaid swimming and participate in a land photoshoot to capture the allure of your ‘mersona’ (mermaid persona) in the making!
Time commitment: This experience is a total of 1.5 hours.
Price: $100
What’s Included:
- All equipment is provided.
- On land briefing and introduction to mermaiding
- 1 confined water dive
- Learn and practice basic mermaid movements and breath hold techniques in shallow water
- A short land photo session with mermaid accessories and posing techniques.
What’s Required:
- You need to be in good physical health.
- Requires no prior experience with snorkeling, skin diving, freediving, or scuba diving, but participant is comfortable in the water and have basic swimming skills.
- Ages 6+
Basic Mermaid Certification
The PADI Basic Mermaid™ course combines learning mermaid theory and principles on land, and doing a mermaid dive in confined water to develop your skills as a mermaid. Specifically, the course covers mermaid culture, underwater communication, primary safety considerations, equipment, and basic mermaid swimming skills.
Time commitment: This experience is a total of 2.5 hours.
Price: $150
What’s Included:
- All equipment is provided.
- On land briefing and knowledge development session
- 1 confined water dive
- Learn and practice basic mermaid movements and breath hold techniques in shallow water
- A short land photo session with mermaid accessories and posing techniques.
What’s Required:
- You need to be in good physical health.
- Requires no prior experience with snorkeling, skin diving, freediving, or scuba diving, but participant is comfortable in the water and have basic swimming skills.
- You need to be able to swim at least 25m/80ft without swim aids, able to float comfortably at the surface for at least 3 minutes
- Ages 6+
Full Mermaid
The full PADI Mermaid course includes a knowledge development theory session and two mermaid dives in confined water. Specifically, the dives include skills like self-rescue, safety, and swimming, as well as artistic swimming that allows mermaiding to be a form of self-expression. In this course, students will master mermaid swimming techniques and focus on breath-hold techniques.
(Note that the PADI Mermaid course includes Basic Mermaid, so you can start with PADI Mermaid – there is no need to take Basic Mermaid separately.)
Time commitment: This experience is a total of 4 hours and takes only ½ a day.
Price: $250
What’s Included
- On land briefing and knowledge development for introduction to mermaiding
- 2 confined water dives
- Learn and master mermaid movements and skills such as dolphin (butterfly) kicks, C-shape and U-shape side turns, and some skills distinct to mermaid diving, including backward somersault turn, underwater handshaking mermaid bubbles, and back glides.
- Static and dynamic apnea sessions
- Time spent in the water acting as both a mermaid and a safety buddy
- A short land photo session with mermaid accessories and posing techniques.
What’s Required
- You need to be in good physical health
- Requires no prior experience with snorkeling, skin diving, freediving, or scuba diving, but participant is comfortable in the water and have basic swimming skills.
- You need to be able to swim at least 50m/160ft without swim aids, able to float comfortably at the surface for at least 5 mins
- Ages 10+
Advanced Mermaid
Enhance your mermaid skills with advanced techniques in the open water. In the PADI Advanced Mermaid™ course, you’ll build on your PADI Mermaid certification and apply it to deeper waters. You’ll also learn more about mermaid safety and rescue skills by participating as both a mermaid in trouble and the safety buddy.
Time commitment: This experience is a total of 6 hours and takes 1 full day or 2 ½ days.
Price: $300
What’s Included:
- All required equipment is provided
- On land briefing and knowledge development session
- 2 confined water and 2 open water mermaid dives
- Learn and master mermaid movements and skills such as dolphin (butterfly) kicks, C-shape and U-shape side turns, and some skills distinct to mermaid diving, including backward somersault turn, underwater handshaking mermaid bubbles, and back glides in deeper water
- Time spent in the water acting as both a mermaid and a safety buddy
- Safety and rescue skills
- A short land photo session with mermaid accessories and posing techniques
What’s Required:
- You need to be in good physical health
- Requires no prior experience with snorkeling, skin diving, freediving, or scuba diving, but participant is comfortable in the water and have basic swimming skills.
- You need to be able to swim at least 100m/320ft without swim aids, and able to float comfortably at the surface for at least 10 mins
- PADI Mermaid certification or equivalent from another recognized agency
- Ages 12+
Meet our Guest Instructor Alanna
Alanna Canaran is a passionate science communicator and ocean educator currently working as a producer for Ocean School. Alanna is also a PADI scuba diving instructor, mermaid instructor and TV host in the field of ocean education. See her on East Link’s Jump In. She’s also in Jawsome: Canada’s Great White Sharks, a documentary from CBC’s The Nature of Things.
Her love of the ocean emphatically fuels her mission to bridge the gap between ocean literacy and the wider public. With a BSc in Marine Biology, Alanna understands the importance of conservation and ocean stewardship in the world of diving. She teaches her courses with a focus on how to be an aware diver.
PADI Mermaid FAQs
Who can take the PADI Mermaid program?
The PADI Mermaid program is for anyone and everyone!
The minimum age requirement is 6 years old for Discover Mermaid, a minimum age of 10 years old for Basic Mermaid and Full Mermaid, and a minium age of 12 years old for the Advanced Mermaid. So generally this is a program for people of any age!
The PADI Mermaid Program requires no prior snorkeling, skin diving, freediving, or scuba diving experience. However, students must be comfortable in the water and demonstrate some swimming abilities for the certification levels. And all students must be able to complete this PADI Medical Questionnaire.
Like all PADI programs, the mermaid program can be adapted to fit your needs and abilities. Our guest instructor Alanna is trained in “Adaptive Techniques” and can make adjustments as required.
I want to become a mermaid. Why do I need a course to do so?
Though mermaiding appears to be relatively simple, there’s a lot to learn. Chiefly, the PADI Mermaid program teaches you about safety, how your body behaves underwater and the best use of mermaid equipment.
Mermaid diving is a creative expression you enjoy in the water. And most novice ‘mermaids’ find it’s an enjoyable challenge that they readily master. But, the course does involve swimming in and under water, so your PADI Mermaid Instructor will orient you to skills and guidelines that, first and foremost, prevent problems and reduce risk. Secondly they’ll help you enjoy and get the most out of mermaid diving.
What is the required student equipment for the PADI Mermaid program?
PADI requires the following equipment for the Basic Mermaid, PADI Mermaid courses and PADI Advanced Mermaid courses:
- Mask and snorkel
- data-aria-level=”1″><span data-contrast=”none”>Bifins
- props=”{“335552541″:1,”335559684″:-2,”335559685″:720,”335559991″:360,"469769226″:”Symbol”,”469769242″:[8226],”469777803″:”left”,”469777804″:””,”469777815″:”hybridMultilevel”}” aria-setsize=”-1″ data-aria-posinset=”3″ data-aria-level=”1″>Weight belt and weights in small increments (special mermaid weights like integrated tail weights, hidden in mermaid dress, etc. optional)
- Monofin (mermaid tail)
Luckily all of this equipment from mask to tail is available at Sun Divers Roatan. So don’t worry if you don’t have your own gear!
Do you provide a mermaid costume?
Yesss fish! We provide a selection of seashell accessories for the on land photo shoot so that you can look fintastic. But there’s no need to ‘dress up’ beyond the tail if that’s not your thing.
What is the additional recommended student equipment for the PADI Mermaid program?
We recommend the use of the following equipment
- Mermaid outfit (not provided)
- Appropriate exposure protection. In Roatan a rashguard will usually suffice and we have some available for use if needed.
- Nose clip (not provided)
Why is the program called ‘mermaid’ and not merfolk? Are all students welcome including mermen?
The course welcomes all participants regardless of gender. In English, “mermaid” is used because it is the most recognized term, and through the program “mermaid” is treated as a gender neutral term. In some languages, such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese, the term “mermaid” is not gender specific unless “man” or “woman” is added.
