The mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs Park can dance for 30 minutes underwater with practice and use of soft air ducts.
The auditorium at Weeki Wachee Springs Park in Florida, USA, is located 5 meters below the ground, according to the Washington Post. Long wooden benches face a thick glass wall. Covering the glass wall was a blue curtain, which looked like a pleated swimsuit. But 3-4 times a day, the curtain will be raised, revealing the clear blue water behind the glass wall.
The ledge protrudes and the opening is 6 meters long and 1 meter wide, allowing about 454 million liters of water to enter the tank every day. Softshell turtles, mullet or frogfish will swim through the glass wall, followed by the mermaid. They are women wearing multicolored glittery fake tails worn over their thighs, performing underwater and revealing the dramatic transformations of their bodies when they need to hold their breath for the duration of the performance.
One of the newest members of the mermaids is Paisley, a 19-year-old girl from Indialantic, Florida. Paisley is her stage name. The mermaids do not reveal their names to keep the mystery and also to avoid being stalked.
The mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs Park can stay underwater for 30 minutes. (Photo: Flickr).
Every day, Paisley woke up as usual. But when she puts on her performance costume, she will transform into a different person, able to stay underwater for 30 minutes for the entire show without needing to surface. Paisley swam in the water, and when she needed to breathe, she inhaled oxygen from a hose connected to the ledge.
Paisley had never competed in swimming, worked as a dancer, or had any other job that would allow her to dance underwater. But she was originally from Florida and the Florida girls were good swimmers. So when she was introduced to the entrance exam by a college classmate, Paisley joined.
The first test was to swim 200 meters, 100 meters down the Weeki Wachee and 100 meters upstream. Then Paisley had to dive in front of the auditorium window, smiling and waving. “They just try to see if you look comfortable in the water. To make sure you don’t wince,” Paisley shared.
The recruiters then showed Paisley the mermaid moves for her to perform underwater. The manager also wanted to see how long she could hold her breath naturally. At the audition, Paisley held his breath for 30 seconds. Coaches can accept that level because they know Paisley’s body will change over time she becomes a mermaid.
Acting as a mermaid without jutting out of the water or leaning on a breathing apparatus has been the hallmark of Weeki Wachee Park since its early days. The soft tube-based breathing method was developed in the 1940s after Newton Perry, who trained frogmen for the US Navy, bought the amusement park. Perry experimented with ways for people to breathe air without wearing an oxygen tank on their back. In the end, he decided to install hoses that carried the air from the compressor.
Within the first few months, before actually getting started as a mermaid, Paisley had to get a scuba diving certificate, a CPR certificate, and a lifesaving certificate. After that, Paisley had to start getting used to being in the water for a long time. Paisley would jump into the water through a cylinder beneath the dressing room and rehearse part of the ensemble. She had to constantly rise to the surface, breathe and dive.
The mermaids do not need to hold their breath for longer than 40 seconds thanks to the flexible hose that carries oxygen from the compressor. (Photo: AFP).
When he got enough certification, Paisley learned to use the hose. The trainer instructed her to get into the water, breathe in oxygen through a hose, and stay underwater for 5 minutes without emerging. When inhaled from the tube, oxygen filled Paisley’s lungs and she floated. As Paisley exhaled, she sank. Not long after, Paisley practiced her mermaid moves while closing her legs . “It took me a month before I got a tail. It was a big turning point. It felt like a real mermaid,” Paisley said.
Some experts expressed concern about being constantly underwater, breathing intermittently and performing alongside turtles. The first is the limit for the time you hold your breath. Studies have established a safe timeline for synchronized swimmers. According to Teresa Alentejano, a world-renowned synchronized swimming coach and physiologist, a 1995 work concluded that the limit is 40 seconds. Thanks to the hose, mermaids never have to hold their breath longer than that.
Mermaids must be certified and undergo many months of training before being allowed to perform. (Photo: Flickr).
Jim Chimiak, medical director of the nonprofit Divers Alert Network, swims at a depth of 6 meters without fear. The water pressure, where mermaids signify, is only 1.5 times that of the human body on land, so no decompression is required. However, divers need to take care to keep the pressure in the middle ear and ear canal balanced through swallowing to avoid temporary or permanent damage.
The body of mermaids may not be able to restore the natural oils that have been washed away by the water. Cuts or cracks in the skin can lead to an infection. They also need to replenish their water first because each time they go into the water, they will make them urinate more than usual.
The synchronized swimmers’ heart rate dropped rapidly when they began to hold their breath, even though they had been practicing. It’s the body’s way of tricking itself into breathing less. “When the heart rate is lower, the body understands that less oxygen is needed and therefore needs to supply less oxygen,” explains Alentejano.