Teenagers and mermaiding: from hobby to training

Somewhere around 12, mermaiding changes. The child who splashed about in a tail becomes a teenager who can swim further, hold their breath longer, and film it all on a phone. Many want to train properly, and some dream of performing.

That is wonderful. It is also the age when confidence can run ahead of judgement. This guide is for parents of teenagers, and for teenagers themselves.

What changes from about 12

Strength and skill

Teenagers are stronger and fitter than younger children. They can manage a heavier fin, swim longer, and learn real technique. Certified courses that build performance skills, rather than play, become open to them.

Breath-holding

A fitter body can hold its breath for longer. That sounds like progress, and in a lesson it can be. Outside one, it is where the danger grows. Longer holds take a swimmer closer to the point where oxygen runs low, and a blackout can come without warning. Our guide to shallow-water blackout explains how.

Confidence

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) notes that drowning risk rises again in the teenage years, even for strong swimmers. It says teenagers may overestimate their skills and underestimate danger. It also points to developing impulse control and peer pressure.

The risk nobody expects: the confident swimmer

Most parents worry about weak swimmers. With breath-holding, the bigger worry is often the strong one.

In 2015 the CDC's journal MMWR published a study of 16 people in New York State who drowned or nearly drowned after dangerous breath-holding in water. Four died. All four were aged 17 to 22, were advanced or expert swimmers, and had deliberately over-breathed first.

The study gives two examples that will sound familiar to any parent:

• A teenager in breath-holding contests with friends, who blacked out and was revived by lifeguards.
• An advanced teenage swimmer training for a military goal, doing long breath-holds and underwater lengths, who died.

Almost every incident at a regulated pool happened with a lifeguard on duty. That is why "there's a lifeguard" is not a plan. See Never alone.

The rules for teenagers are the same as for everyone

• Never over-breathe before going under.
• Never breath-hold alone, and have someone watch for at least 30 seconds after surfacing.
• One length, one breath. No chained underwater lengths.
• No contests, in person or on camera.
• No somersaults or disorienting moves outside a lesson.
• Tails stay in the pool unless they are trained for more.

Peer pressure and social media challenges

The AAP explains why teenagers take on risky online challenges. The part of the brain that weighs consequences is not fully developed until the mid-20s. Approval from friends matters enormously, and likes and comments make a risky stunt feel worth it. The AAP names the "choking game" and the "blackout" challenge among the dangerous ones.

Breath-holding videos fit the same pattern. "How long can I stay under?" makes a good clip and a terrible plan.

The AAP suggests:

• Talk calmly, without judging. Ask what challenges their friends are talking about.
• Ask them to think it through: each step, the worst outcome, and whether it is worth it.
• Stay connected to their online life, and agree a family media plan.

A teenager who understands why a rule exists is far more likely to keep it when you are not there.

Certified pathways

A course gives a teenager what YouTube cannot: a trained instructor watching every breath-hold, and safety skills built into the training.

MFI Mermaid

MFI, Mermaid Federation International, teaches mermaiding as an art and a profession. For a teenager, Advanced Mermaid (M1) is the natural first serious step. It builds poses, transitions and routines. To earn it, you perform two routines and complete a rescue tow and a written test passed at 75% or above.

That matters at this age. Teenagers learn to watch over others, not just to be watched. MFI regards M2 graduates as professional underwater performers, and at our school M2 starts at 18. So a teenager can train towards it with a clear goal.

MFI's Junior Mermaid track

MFI also runs Junior Mermaid courses, J1 to J3, for ages 6 to 16. MFI's site lists a 25 m swim for each, with a guardian accompanying. We do not teach the Junior track. Ask MFI for an instructor who does.

PADI Mermaid

PADI, the world's best-known diver training organisation, builds water skills step by step. For a teenager, Mermaid is a good first serious step from age 10, and Advanced Mermaid follows from 12, with basic mermaid freediving.

PADI's courses are performance-based, so a teenager moves on once a skill is mastered, not when the clock runs out. Its certifications are recognised internationally, which travels well. Aliyah is a PADI Mermaid Instructor, and the course pages list each level's age and swim test. See PADI Mermaid.

Consent under 18

Anyone under 18 needs a parent's consent for our courses. An adult must be at the pool for children under 16. MFI's own site also lists guardian consent for under-18s on its Mermaid courses, and a health declaration from every student.

Consent is more than a signature. Read what the course involves, ask about breath-holding and depth, and be honest about health on the declaration. See Health checks before you start.

Performing and photos online

Mermaid photos are beautiful, and teenagers want to share them. A little care keeps that safe.

Singapore's Digital for Life movement, run with IMDA, suggests:

• Involve your child in decisions about what is shared.
• Check metadata and location settings before posting.
• Remember who owns it. Photos posted on social media may become the property of the site owners.
• Ask first before filming other people, such as at a club or event.

A guide from Beyond The Post, an IMDA-supported student campaign, adds more:

• Hide uniforms, crests and routines that reveal a school or a regular place.
• Think twice about swimwear photos. It flags images of children in any state of undress.
• Check privacy settings on every platform.
• The internet is forever. Screenshots outlive deleted posts.

For a teenager, the key questions are simple. Who can see this? Does it show where I swim? Would I be happy for a stranger to save it? Never publish a pool's location; we never publish ours.

Body image and costumes

Mermaiding shows bodies in swimwear, on camera, at an age when many teenagers feel self-conscious. A parents' guide from Sweden's Safer Internet Centre, published on the EU's Better Internet for Kids, notes research linking heavy social media use at ages 10 to 18 with poorer body image.

Some practical thoughts:

• Comfort first. Any swimsuit they feel good in is right. A swim top or rash vest is fine.
• Avoid comparison. Professional photos are lit, posed and often edited.
• Praise skill, not looks. A smooth surfacing or a held pose is the achievement.
• Never wear anything they cannot get out of quickly in the water.

Choosing a school

Teenagers often find instructors online. Help them check:

• Is the instructor certified to teach mermaiding, and can you verify it?
• Who watches each student? One-to-one, or a group?
• How is breath-holding taught? Calmly, never with over-breathing or records.
• Is rescue taught as part of certification?
• Are parents welcome at the pool?
• Who takes the photos, and how are they shared?

Our guide Choosing a safe mermaid school has the full list.

What to expect in our courses

Most of Aliyah's students are adults, and she teaches very few children. Teenagers are welcome on any course their age allows.

• Mostly one-to-one, never more than four, and every breath-hold is watched, one student at a time, in the shallow end.
• A separate photographer takes photos in lessons, so her eyes stay on the water.
• Tails, fins and masks are lent. Bring a swimsuit and a towel.
• A pool in Singapore. We share the location once you have booked.
• M1 at a glance: 10 hours over theory, land and three pool sessions, in a deep pool. Your teenager will need to swim 25 m first.
• A parent's consent under 18, and an adult at the pool for under-16s.

Explore MFI Mermaid, Underwater Dance and PADI Mermaid. Younger child? Start with Is my child ready?