Gramma Swordwhale's Mermaid Blog
and more here: click this
Mermaiding is a thing, for anyone, any age, any size, any shape, any color, any gender. So put on your tail and explore some cool places on the DelMarVa Peninsula, learn some weird facts about life underwater (and how you can protect it), oh, and how to mermaid...
Pics by buddy Dave Tristan at the edges of Lake Marburg. August 2020. Monofin: Mermaid Linden. Tailskin: Fin Fun Blue Lagoon. Swim top: ShopVancouverMermaid/Courtney Mermaid. Shout out to her for designing a functional unfussy and gorgeous swim top that also functions as a sport bra. The last pic shows the true color of the lake. The bottom is brown with sand, rocks and silt. The shallows reflect this. The lake is generally quite clear, visibility might be 20' or more, and deeper, it's green. Weed beds flourish in the shallows near shore, they feed ducks, geese and small fish. The other photos were Photoshopped to make them more blue and oceanic looking.
Tailskins backlit are quite transparent when wet. So if you're doing a handstand don't put the sun behind you! Be careful too of angles that show the edge of your fluke: most tailskins have open bottoms to let water flow through. Looks kind of odd if your photog catches a gaping fluke edge.
The pic at the top of the page, of Gramma Swordwhale on a river rock was taken by a non-photog friend, Holly Koster, with my cheesy cell phone in a plastic phone bag. The phone bags are made to be waterproof and are relatively optically clear. Easy to do live streams and random photography from a kayak. It was Holly's first time on the river, and rivers can be intimidating with their unpredictable weather and currents. The Susquehanna is low and slow in August, our main issue was avoiding half sunken rocks in boats that float in four inches of water.
We paddling out of Wrightsville and under the Route 30 and Market Street bridges (where it's about four feet deep, has wonderful weed beds full of fish and clear water this day. I anchored the boat and amused a few walkers on the bridge who spotted the mermaid. We got back in the boats and went down to the Rock Garden, a string of huge boulders across the river. We passed a boulder that looked like a chair and Holly was determined to sit on it.
In which two 65 year old women wrangle themselves out of boats and onto a slippery rock...
Any part of the boulders underwater is covered with slippery goo. Algae. I carefully anchored my boat (a long line and a five pound barbell), and carefully climbed on the rock, hanging onto the boat and the dry part of the rock while stepping on the slippery part underwater. Then I wrangled the boat over, got the tail and put that on...
Holly snapped some shots. She climbed on the rock while I rafted up both boats, holding them together so there was a stable platform. We got more shots.
Shooting "in the wild" is fun. Play safe, have buddies, have flotation. Be aware of currents (we had anchors), weather, wind. Know what's underwater (rocks, so don't fall feet straight down, throw yourself across the surface).
Fin Fun Atlantic "Northern Lights" tail, Mermaid Linden monofin, Perception Prodigy 12' and Lifetime Tahoma 10' kayaks (the green one).
Tailskins backlit are quite transparent when wet. So if you're doing a handstand don't put the sun behind you! Be careful too of angles that show the edge of your fluke: most tailskins have open bottoms to let water flow through. Looks kind of odd if your photog catches a gaping fluke edge.
The pic at the top of the page, of Gramma Swordwhale on a river rock was taken by a non-photog friend, Holly Koster, with my cheesy cell phone in a plastic phone bag. The phone bags are made to be waterproof and are relatively optically clear. Easy to do live streams and random photography from a kayak. It was Holly's first time on the river, and rivers can be intimidating with their unpredictable weather and currents. The Susquehanna is low and slow in August, our main issue was avoiding half sunken rocks in boats that float in four inches of water.
We paddling out of Wrightsville and under the Route 30 and Market Street bridges (where it's about four feet deep, has wonderful weed beds full of fish and clear water this day. I anchored the boat and amused a few walkers on the bridge who spotted the mermaid. We got back in the boats and went down to the Rock Garden, a string of huge boulders across the river. We passed a boulder that looked like a chair and Holly was determined to sit on it.
In which two 65 year old women wrangle themselves out of boats and onto a slippery rock...
Any part of the boulders underwater is covered with slippery goo. Algae. I carefully anchored my boat (a long line and a five pound barbell), and carefully climbed on the rock, hanging onto the boat and the dry part of the rock while stepping on the slippery part underwater. Then I wrangled the boat over, got the tail and put that on...
Holly snapped some shots. She climbed on the rock while I rafted up both boats, holding them together so there was a stable platform. We got more shots.
Shooting "in the wild" is fun. Play safe, have buddies, have flotation. Be aware of currents (we had anchors), weather, wind. Know what's underwater (rocks, so don't fall feet straight down, throw yourself across the surface).
Fin Fun Atlantic "Northern Lights" tail, Mermaid Linden monofin, Perception Prodigy 12' and Lifetime Tahoma 10' kayaks (the green one).
an expedition to the Yellow Breeches
The Yellow Breeches is a local trout stream, clear and cold. Most is shallow, so tubers and a few kayaks manage to float down it when it isn't too low. Fishermen love it, and there are deeper holes to fish in. My cousin's teens, inspired by some youtubers who search for sunken treasure, investigated the creek with snorkels and masks. They found a laptop among other things.
Mermaid Linden monofin. Fin Fun Atlantis Northern Lights tailskin.
Mermaid Linden monofin. Fin Fun Atlantis Northern Lights tailskin.
Cape Henlopen State Park DE
Cape Henlopen lies at the mouth of the Delaware Bay. Directly across the bay is Cape May. "Capes" are pointy sweeps of land that, sailed around, lead you into a totally different body of water, a gate to adventure. Henlopen has a nice campground, a bayside, a beachside, and WW2 watchtowers that can still be climbed.
The Visitor's Center was closed in May 2021, as we were still on the edges of Covid, but the yard contained these awesome giant blue crab sculptures.
Use your environment and imagination and have fun. Even if you can't mermaid in the water, you can pose for some nonsense on land.
Thanks to Holly for grabbing these shots.
Fin Fun rashguard, Fin Fun Blue Lagoon tailskin. Mermaid Linden monofin. Rashguards are also sun protection without having to smear sunscreen on sandy wet bodies. Hair color is Ion.
The Visitor's Center was closed in May 2021, as we were still on the edges of Covid, but the yard contained these awesome giant blue crab sculptures.
Use your environment and imagination and have fun. Even if you can't mermaid in the water, you can pose for some nonsense on land.
Thanks to Holly for grabbing these shots.
Fin Fun rashguard, Fin Fun Blue Lagoon tailskin. Mermaid Linden monofin. Rashguards are also sun protection without having to smear sunscreen on sandy wet bodies. Hair color is Ion.
mermaiding on a barrier island
Lynda is a bit younger and skinnier than me, but neither of us matches the iconic view of slender blonde mermaid. Phoooo... who cares.
Mermaiding is for everyone. Mermaids come in all sizes, ages, shapes, colors and genders.
We camped at Pocomoke State Park in MD, on the Pocomoke River, and drove to Assateague Island (both north/MD and south/VA ends). To camp on Assateague, you have to sign up half a year in advance!
I took ALL the tails, but used the Linden monofin and the Fin Fun Atlantis skin on the shore. For the camp pic I'm in the Fin Fun Tidal Teal (and the matching rashguard) and Lynda is in the Atlantis.
The surf on the north beach in MD was mild. The whole coast is shifting sand with no obstructions, in surfing, a "beach break" which can stay the same for years, or change within days. One part of the VA end (Beach Road, traffic circle, turn left) also had a long gently sloping bottom which contributed to low rolling waves. It probably was safe enough to swim out through the surf, but best if you have some canny swimmers with you as mertenders in conditions like this. We stayed in the swash zone. The thing to know is you will get rolled around, and you will collect sand in the corners of the tailskin. In the ocean, know what the currents are doing: currents moving out to sea? Longshore currents? How are those waves breaking; remember, they change during the day as the tide goes in and out, and hits different parts of the beach. I am a more powerful, faster swimmer IN the tail, or the monofin, but you need to know what you can and cannot do in any situation, whether you need to ditch the tail or just keep swimming...
Anybody can have fun posing in the swash or on the beach.
Mermaiding is for everyone. Mermaids come in all sizes, ages, shapes, colors and genders.
We camped at Pocomoke State Park in MD, on the Pocomoke River, and drove to Assateague Island (both north/MD and south/VA ends). To camp on Assateague, you have to sign up half a year in advance!
I took ALL the tails, but used the Linden monofin and the Fin Fun Atlantis skin on the shore. For the camp pic I'm in the Fin Fun Tidal Teal (and the matching rashguard) and Lynda is in the Atlantis.
The surf on the north beach in MD was mild. The whole coast is shifting sand with no obstructions, in surfing, a "beach break" which can stay the same for years, or change within days. One part of the VA end (Beach Road, traffic circle, turn left) also had a long gently sloping bottom which contributed to low rolling waves. It probably was safe enough to swim out through the surf, but best if you have some canny swimmers with you as mertenders in conditions like this. We stayed in the swash zone. The thing to know is you will get rolled around, and you will collect sand in the corners of the tailskin. In the ocean, know what the currents are doing: currents moving out to sea? Longshore currents? How are those waves breaking; remember, they change during the day as the tide goes in and out, and hits different parts of the beach. I am a more powerful, faster swimmer IN the tail, or the monofin, but you need to know what you can and cannot do in any situation, whether you need to ditch the tail or just keep swimming...
Anybody can have fun posing in the swash or on the beach.
Below: Live shots at Slaughter Beach DE. (with some minor Photoshop in places). We went in May for the great horseshoe crab spawning. We got there on full moon, but at falling tide. The crabs are most active on full and new moons, and high tides. Fin Fun monofin and tail and leggings, and Finis Luna (the green one) with leggings. Water a bit too cold to get into. Yes my hair is blue (Ion, Sally Beauty).
Wonder what that shell was you picked up? Here's a field guide to stuff I've found on mid-Atlantic beaches.
Can't get to the beach? explore Planet Water here:
Why are horseshoe crabs cool? Check out the Great Horseshoe Crab Migration here:
Make your own mermaid pool (and raise tadpoles) here:
My favorite islands (hint, wild ponies aka seahorses):
Can't get to the beach? explore Planet Water here:
Why are horseshoe crabs cool? Check out the Great Horseshoe Crab Migration here:
Make your own mermaid pool (and raise tadpoles) here:
My favorite islands (hint, wild ponies aka seahorses):
why mermaiding?
Because we began in water;
life on Earth began in water, our own life began in water inside the womb. A wise person once said water is the strongest stuff on earth. Water gives our world its life. Water is spirit, emotion and inspiration. Mermaids are descendants of Aphrodite and Venus in one mythology. They dive far below the sparkly surface and bring up deep truths. They bring up our fears of diving deep into that unknown, of change, of losing control, or leaving behind what was once known. Like the dragonfly nymphs I find kayaking, mermaids are about transformation. Half human half fish, they may transform to come ashore, or need a wheelchair or pony cart.
OK, enough philosophy...
Why mermaiding?
It's good to be in the water. You may have physical problems (arthritis, bad knees, have an overabundant blubber layer, be old) or anxiety or be on the autism spectrum (I know two young ladies on the Spectrum who love being in the water). Doesn't matter, water heals. It is the strongest stuff on earth, so anything you do in water is exercise, without impact, or fighting gravity.
You need your Inner Child. Humans have thrived for millennia because they are inventive, creative, curious, playful. Nurturing your imagination doesn't take you OUT of the world, it connects you with the world, and with deeper solutions to those mundane obstacles. Mermaiding is like tai chi or kayaking or riding a horse or a gazillion other things that put you in a place where you are Here, Now... and can ... just.... breathe.
life on Earth began in water, our own life began in water inside the womb. A wise person once said water is the strongest stuff on earth. Water gives our world its life. Water is spirit, emotion and inspiration. Mermaids are descendants of Aphrodite and Venus in one mythology. They dive far below the sparkly surface and bring up deep truths. They bring up our fears of diving deep into that unknown, of change, of losing control, or leaving behind what was once known. Like the dragonfly nymphs I find kayaking, mermaids are about transformation. Half human half fish, they may transform to come ashore, or need a wheelchair or pony cart.
OK, enough philosophy...
Why mermaiding?
It's good to be in the water. You may have physical problems (arthritis, bad knees, have an overabundant blubber layer, be old) or anxiety or be on the autism spectrum (I know two young ladies on the Spectrum who love being in the water). Doesn't matter, water heals. It is the strongest stuff on earth, so anything you do in water is exercise, without impact, or fighting gravity.
You need your Inner Child. Humans have thrived for millennia because they are inventive, creative, curious, playful. Nurturing your imagination doesn't take you OUT of the world, it connects you with the world, and with deeper solutions to those mundane obstacles. Mermaiding is like tai chi or kayaking or riding a horse or a gazillion other things that put you in a place where you are Here, Now... and can ... just.... breathe.
In which we prove that mermaids and floaties don't mix. Rock Hall MD, 2019. Figured I'd relax on my floatie raft, with the tail to propel me back to shore if I drifted out into the Bay.
It's hard to get on a raft with a tail...
Maybe a unicorn tube...
Monofin: by Mermaid Linden. Orca tailskin: Fin Fun. Leggings: thrift shop. Avengers Time Heist rashguard, awesome.
It's hard to get on a raft with a tail...
Maybe a unicorn tube...
Monofin: by Mermaid Linden. Orca tailskin: Fin Fun. Leggings: thrift shop. Avengers Time Heist rashguard, awesome.
how to mermaid
First, you need to know how to swim. Basic skills like:
more here: (click, click already, what are you waiting for...)
- swim 25 meters/80+ feet without touching bottom or grabbing lane lines, or using a pool noodle
- tread water
- float on back
- turn over onto back to float and breathe
- Now do all this with your monofin.
- Be able to get out of your monofin quickly and safely.
- It's fine (and safer for beginners and kids) to use a monofin with leggings, not a tail.
- If you use a tailskin over your monofin, be very proficient in getting it off quickly and safely (practice on land and in the shallows first).
- be very aware of your environment: other swimmers, animals, currents, obstacles
more here: (click, click already, what are you waiting for...)
dryland mermaiding
Decorate: If you can't get to the beach or even the pool, or if you're not a good swimmer (yet), you can decorate a room (or part of one) with mermaid stuff, make your own "mermaid grotto". Arts and crafts stores are full of beach theme stuff. thrift shops are full of goodies like teal sheer curtains for sea themed wall hangings (try draping them over a piece of driftwood).
Volunteer or support: You can support organizations who save the oceans, bays and rivers.
You can do your own dryland photoshoot. My friend and I used a "green screen" which is what they use for special effects in movies. You shoot the actors in front of a green wall (blanket, piece of cloth, whatever) and take out the green in a computer program (like Photoshop) later. The "green screen" can be other colors, just not any of the colors you're wearing! (or they'll vanish too). This lets you put yourself into all kinds of fun ocean backgrounds. You can use one of those "mermaid blankets" or snugglies, or make your own tail for this. You can also have someone stand on a ladder and shoot down at your mermaids "swimming" on a big sheet on the floor.
Here's what we did...
Volunteer or support: You can support organizations who save the oceans, bays and rivers.
You can do your own dryland photoshoot. My friend and I used a "green screen" which is what they use for special effects in movies. You shoot the actors in front of a green wall (blanket, piece of cloth, whatever) and take out the green in a computer program (like Photoshop) later. The "green screen" can be other colors, just not any of the colors you're wearing! (or they'll vanish too). This lets you put yourself into all kinds of fun ocean backgrounds. You can use one of those "mermaid blankets" or snugglies, or make your own tail for this. You can also have someone stand on a ladder and shoot down at your mermaids "swimming" on a big sheet on the floor.
Here's what we did...
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In my stories, the fish-based merrows wear red caps to breathe water. The mammal based ones (like Gramma Swordwhale) breathe air and hold their breath underwater. Gramma Swordwhale likes her tardis hat tho...
We shot various swimming poses on the green screen. Then I rotated the shot, did a background in Photoshop, smudged the hair a bit to make it look like it was flowing in the waves, and added a faint blue layer over the mermaid so she looks like she's underwater. I may have made her look a little nicer too. A non-Photoshop version of this would just be shooting pics on a big blue sheet. Next step, actual shots underwater!
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I layered the top one over a shot of the beach at Assateague Island that I took earlier. Be careful that your eyeline is the same (how high or low your camera is), that the scale is the same (wow, do those waves look really tiny???) and that the light is coming from the same angle. Add some shadows under your mermaid to make it look like she's there.
The swimming one is a dryland shot layered over a shot I took of the shallow eelgrass beds in Chincoteague Bay. Another layer of the same bay shot over it, faded in parts, creates the underwater look. The four foot hammerhead shark came from a thrift shop. Mine mine mine mine....
Below: what happens when you bring your tails to a family gathering... and the cousin's kid and friend find them.
Even though the fins are adult size, kids can get into them for a dryland shoot (for swimming they need their own size). Even the oversized adult tailskin is fun! Dress up at its best. Photoshopped with blue layers, and into beach scenes I shot on Assateague Island. Fin Fun Tidal Teal and Orca skins.
The swimming one is a dryland shot layered over a shot I took of the shallow eelgrass beds in Chincoteague Bay. Another layer of the same bay shot over it, faded in parts, creates the underwater look. The four foot hammerhead shark came from a thrift shop. Mine mine mine mine....
Below: what happens when you bring your tails to a family gathering... and the cousin's kid and friend find them.
Even though the fins are adult size, kids can get into them for a dryland shoot (for swimming they need their own size). Even the oversized adult tailskin is fun! Dress up at its best. Photoshopped with blue layers, and into beach scenes I shot on Assateague Island. Fin Fun Tidal Teal and Orca skins.
mermaid life
Or: How To Turn Your House Into A Mermaid Grotto On No Budget
I have no budget, thrift shops and yard sale finds are my friend. Here's a few things I did to create an ocean feel to parts of my house.
- sheer curtains diffuse light like water does. Use white or blues to create ocean effects on walls or windows. Put strings of lights behind them for a soft underwater glow.
- Small fake Christmas trees (or palm trees) strung with lights, shells and fish can be an all year thing.
- Make a driftwood tree out of one big piece (in a pot or tree stand) with smaller pieces tied or glued crossways, smaller as you go up. Hang with shells, fish, mermaids.
- Cover boring walls or curtains with hangings: blue curtains/sheers/scarves/tule... driftwood tied on string... use batik swimsuit coverups too, or yard flags (mine has a nice watercolor of a lighthouse).
- posters
- wall clings
- faerie gardens with mermaids
- hang that busted but cute boogie board on the wall
- reef shower curtains
- dive bag makes great clothes hamper (net bag with metal ring opening, I hang it on bathroom wall for clothes that need washed)
- skim boards, fins, masks, old dive gear, check your thrift shop
- arrange a thrift shop bikini on an old boogie board or make a sea wreath with one
- realistic sea creature plushies
- put them on wreaths or ship's wheels
- chalk paint sticks to anything, it comes in blues
- drape blue scarves or sheer curtains over doorways or windows
- sea bottles/jars: mix blue acrylic paint with ModPodge, paint glass jar... while wet, roll bottom half in sand... add glitter if you like... ModPodge over it to seal sand/glitter
- mix ModPodge and sand in a bowl, apply to a piece of wood (or other surface), press in shells, dries in about 24 hours
- jar of shells
- small jars with sand from favorite beaches (label them)
- large box with sand to walk in
- paint a door or accent wall turquoise
- basket of ocean field guides
- recycle fishy sheets as seat covers
- find an old oar or paddle to hang (hang clothes from it) or prop in a corner
- you can never have too many ship's wheels
- do a canvas with footprints (acrylic paint) and sand; ModPodge and real sand
- sea creature "decoys": wooden cutouts on a stick on a piece of driftwood or other wood, make them with cheap stuff from the craft store
- sea stencils
- paint wooden sea creature cutouts blue, glue magnets on back
- thrift shop treasures: turn that 18" doll into a mermaid by adding the plush tail from a whale or dolphin or fish plush
- thrift shop treasures: mermaidy dresses in ocean colors, tule, and sparkles
- thrift shop treasures: sea colored wine glasses, with lemon/water, sparklywater and lime, or wine of your choice (I also do sparkly water and my own grape juice I made from a cousin's vine)
You can add real mermaid grotto goodies with aquariums or palm trees
