We’ve never totally understood why The Little Mermaid’s Ariel was so desperate to trade in her tail and walk on dry land. To every wide-eyed Disney-loving child, things certainly looked better under the sea (to paraphrase Sebastian the singing crab).
So, if you’ve spent the intervening years wishing you could pull a reverse Ariel and live out a mermaid existence, you’ll be pleased to learn that mermaiding is now a niche extreme sport – and people are participating in real-life mermaid competitions. It’s probably only a matter of time before it gets recognition at the Olympics – or, at the very least, a special slot on ITV’s Splash.
Last weekend, the German town of Suhl hosted the country’s first ever national mermaid swimming – or ‘Meerjungfrauenschwimmen’ – championships, attended by over 100 aspiring mer-people aged between eight and 48. The younger contestants swam 50 metres, while adults doubled that distance – all while wearing heavy, ornate mermaid tails. Just imagine the training regime.
According to The Local, Lotta Muller was victorious in the hotly contested eight-to- nine year olds category, while Alexander Sengpiel bagged a gold in the (less competitive) adult race.
The sport has risen in popularity in Germany over the last few years, with mermaid schools opening up in major cities like Munich and Berlin. If you want to channel your inner Ariel on less far-flung shores, a handful of mermaid courses are operating in the UK, offering you the chance to learn how to swim (and pose) underwater while decked out in full mer-costume. You might even bag yourself a special certificate...
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