- Mermaiding in South Africa is slowly piquing the interest of swimming enthusiasts
- It involves normal swimming but with monofins to mimic the mystical mermaids
- At Mershool, students glide through water like real mermaids in a collage of colours
Mermaiding in South Africa is slowly piquing the interest of swimming enthusiasts, perhaps due to its unique nature.
It involves the normal swimming but with monofins to mimic the mystical mermaids. So serious is this sport that there is a mermaiding school in Johannesburg. Merschool.
An instructor at Merschool told Africanews that the new swimming technique is fun because they use the dolphin style with scull sequences.
WHAT DOES MERMAIDING INVOLVE
Mermaiding in South Africa. Photo/Daily Maverick
A Mermaid tail, a monofin and an exact mermaid swimming technique are the things you need to have for mermaiding in South Africa. The artificial mermaid tail and monofin combined with the special swimming technique create an illusion of a mermaid swimming.
At Mershool, students glide through water like real mermaids in a collage of colours from the artificial tail. Adults and children have taken up this sport leading to the opening of various firms manufacturing the monofins tails of a mermaid which they then sell or hire out. This convenience has enabled mermaiding in South Africa to quickly gain traction in the south.
WHY IS MERMAIDING IN SOUTH AFRICA POPULAR?
Many people wonder why this sport is so popular in South Africa and not in any other part of Africa. Well, it’s due to the availability of warm coastal waters along its coastline while scores of people throng with monofins and mermaids tails.
It creates an illusion of mermaids in their natural habitat. Interest from other countries in this art also propels the growth of this sport in Mzansi. The world is learning that there is a new sport, an interesting one for that matter.
DO YOU ENJOY MERMAIDING IN SOUTH AFRICA?
Just like conventional swimming, mermaiding is a lot of fun. At Merschool, people from all walks of life consider it an exercise while others take it for therapy. Swimming improves core strength, balance, and overall fitness because it is a full-body exercise. You simultaneously work your upper and lower body.
IS MERMAIDING SAFE?
Mermaiding in South Africa is safe. At Merschool, there are multiple instructors who teach swimmers the best technique and safety precautions to observe while swimming. At the beach, the government has designated certain places as mermaiding spots.
There is always an instructor on site and safety gear such as a lifejacket are recommended for novice swimmers.
Merschool in South Africa. Photo/Global Times
WHERE DID MERMAIDING BEGIN?
This sport is popular in China, known for its excellence when it comes to aquatic sports. Moreover, a legend that there are mermaids in South Africa. There are make-believe stories about the existence of these creatures in four parts of South Africa. They include Under The Rock, Coega River, Cape Town Harbour and False Bay Shimmer.
The justification behind the rumour that mermaids exist in these areas is their eerie-like vibe. They are uniquely quiet, less visited and are in the interiors of South Africa’s lesser-known natural sceneries.
Additionally, there are documented historical confessions of different people, among them sailors in the 17th and 18th centuries allegedly sighting mermaids in different parts of South Africa.
CONCLUSION
While the existence of mermaids remains a mystery, they inspired a swimming sport rapidly gaining traction in Asia and Africa. Mermaiding is a lot of fun more than you would ever imagine.
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