We are professional mermaids who travel around the world. Ask us anything!

How many sailors have you lured to an untimely end?

Not enough

What led you to this point in your life?

Morgana has been fueled by a healthy love of the absurd, and she absorbed the rest of us along the way

Will mermaid burlesque ever become a thing?

It is already a thing

Do you ever get weird men hitting on you or requesting weird sexual favors?

ALL. THE. TIME. The term is "mervert" The primary purpose of the wranglers is to protect us from sexual harassment

Do these people harass you in public? It's crazy to think people are so bold.

A lot of the events we do are in casinos or high-end corporate events. It's amazing how bold people can get when there is a bar....

#mertoo

This is amazing

How do you breathe during your shows? I've heard some pros hide breathers in clam shells and stuff, is it hard to breathe and keep the illusion that you don't need to breathe?

We don't.

Every member of this team is a certified freediver. And while we are also qualified to use air hoses should a venue call for it, to date, our show has involved 0 smoke and mirrors. If we're underwater, we aren't breathing.

Walking with diving flippers is hard enough, any amusing fish out of water stories?

Seanna once fell clean off a table. The shear number of improvised movement apparatuses: bellhop carts, deck chairs being carried by hotel staff, PVC wheelchairs, hand trucks, luggage racks, and being thrown over a wranger's shoulder, it's insane. And somehow you have to pretend it's all still magical

Are you able to do that thing that some dolphins do, where they leap out of the water and touch something with their nose or fly through a hoop before descending back into the water from whence ye came?

Much to our eternal disappointment, no. the difference between the anatomy of a human dragging a 7ft, 50lb, tail, and dolphin is too stark. We simply don't have right muscle ratio above/below the waist.

There have been freedivers who are able to clear the surface in a full breech, but they are in monofin without a tail, they breech backwards, and they need to start from 20-30ft down to gain proper momentum. So we are not comparable to dolphins at all.

Makeup?

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Underwater makeup is a skill all its own. It takes a lot of work and a lot of money

I'm gonna need some product names, if you could! Thanks for doing this AMA-- it's fascinating!

I worked for a very small company doing the same thing where I’d be swimming underwater for multiple hours for parties and events and used Ben Nye makeup :) I personally have used their blushes, eyeshadows, and lip liners/sticks and they’ve lasted in and out of the water all day! Mascara I’ve actually had the best luck with ELF.

A lot of us get individual eyelash extensions to avoid the damage of constant mascara and false lash use.

Mermakeup tutorials???

Whatever water-resistant foundation you like, waterproof sephora eyeshadow crayon, at least two layers of urban decay's all-nighter setting spray.

How heavy are the tails?

25-50 pounds

Jesus, that sounds like a nightmare.

This art is way more physically demanding than people think....

If each of you could have a mermaid-adjacent superpower or magical ability, what would it be?

Morgana - Move through solid objects

Katja - Perfect Camouflage like an octopus

JessaLee - Teleportation

Charlotte - Water bender ala avatar the last airbender

Izriella - Talk to animals

Tasha - Control Water ala H2O mermaids

Seanna - Swim so fast that i get aquaman fart bubbles

Randy - I want sushi to magically appear on demand

Silk - weather control

Randy's the most relatable tbh

Randy should try being a swordfish instead of a mermaid (Did I just assume Randy's gender?)

Randy is Captain Coates, an actual ship captain and our head merwrangler/pirate. He's very, very, male. And this summer he will marry and take his wife's last name, becoming "Captain Ironman"

Not even kidding

How long can you hold your breath?

Performers are required to have a 3 minute breath hold. Our records are

Morgana - 3:05

Jessalee - 3:31

Tasha - 3:03

Katja - 4:24

Charlotte - 4:27

Izriella - 3:02

Seanna - 3:05

Can you hold your breath for that long, come up for one breath of air, and then do it again, or is it something that requires some amount of recovery time after or preparation before?

Fabulous question.

those are personal maxes in the best possible conditions. Under performance conditions, average breath-hold is 45-85 seconds because we are constantly surfacing for 2-5 breaths and then re-diving.

Whhuuuuuut! I can barely do 20 seconds. Are you mermaids human? Kudos!

no, we're mermaids ;)

The aquarium in my city puts mermaids in one of the tanks for one week a year. Is that some of the type of work you would do? If so, that’s super cool. Fun for the adults but for the kids it’s magical because they think you are real mermaids so I appreciate you keeping the dream alive.

Yes, that is absolutely the thing we do. We do all types of events but have a special place in our hearts for aquariums.

When reread your post I did see that you said aquariums so now I kind of feel dumb for asking but still wanted to say thanks for the joy you bring.

We love it

How do you cope with Salt water tanks and keep your eyes open? Or do you exclusively work with fresh water?

Salt water tanks are actual preferable to fresh water because they are less harsh on they eyes. Your body is salt water. So if you balance to the correct PPM the water is basically not irritating at all. However that level of balance is only possible in tanks we can control. For pools or aquariums we are suck-it-up mermaids. That's where being a professional is key: when things aren't ideal

That's fascinating! How do you protect your eyes and hair from long term damage?

Lots an lots of aftercare, especially since half of us color our hair to "mermaid colors"

for eyes we do a gel drops before the set, a wash after the set, and revitalizing drops after that. For hair here is a dunk to chemically neutralize chlorine (if applicable) and weekly or monthly hair masks depending on individual needs.

When people ask what you do for a living and you answer "I'm a Mermaid!" I bet you get some interesting reactions. What's your favorite story about telling someone you're a mermaid?

So mostly they don't believe us and we have to say "no really"
Funniest reaction was the boarder to Canada when we had just left a gig at the Aquarium of Niagara so we're in full makeup but sweatpants, and they thought we were prostitutes and searched us. The tails surprised them.....

Similar issue with customs to Thailand and they *ruined* the tail bag

How much does it cost to fill up the tank from the pool company?

We have 3 tanks so it really depends. Typically a few hundred dollars

What's the money like?

We do so many different types of gigs that its hard to say. Without "outing" any of our clients: Our smallest contract was $100 for a charity event for a battered women's shelter, and we re-donated that $100, and our largest contract was a multi-year contract that came in a bit over $95K

Is it a comfortable full time job for everyone or do people have little side projects as well?

Are you constantly busy or do you have weeks between gigs?

We are consistently booked. However none of us are solely mermaids. We're multi-talented artists who also book as aerialists, living statues, models, stilt walkers, and other performance artists.

Thank you for your answer.

What's a career ladder look like for performers?

I don't mean this in a disrespectful way but i would imagine most mermaids are on the young side.

Would you one day like to be managing performers or do you plan on performing in some capacity until retirement?

One of the reason some of us transitioned to mermaiding is because it has better longevity than most other circus arts. Our performers range from 21 to 45, and there's no limit on mermaid age. While the merverts may loose interest, the children never do.

The term ‘merverts’ has absolutely piqued my interest. It sounds like you may have some over-enthusiastic neckbeardy fans. Are they a large portion of your audience? Do they ruin it for the kids? What’s the most merverted thing that’s ever happened and does stuff like this happen frequently?

Huge respect for what you do by the way. I love anything magical and enchanted and I can only imagine the physical toll it would take swimming around legs strapped together in what is essentially a big weighted boot.

As uncomfortable as the merverts are for the performers, our wranglers do a good job of keeping them at bay, and they aren't the people likely to ruin a show. Far more often it's a careless mother loudly asking something like "where did you buy your tail?" that is likely to ruin it for the kids.

Are all of you from swimming backgrounds? e.g instructors, etc

Only two of the mermaids, Jessalee and Tasha, were major swimmers before. Captain Coates is a sailor. The rest of us are mostly circus professionals.

Where did you study circus?

Each of us has had their own unique path, but thankfully it all lead us here!

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Thank you, my daughter is just starting circus and it’s encouraging to see what’s out there. She’s been told that circus isn’t popular or that there’s no money in it so many times by people who have no idea what they they’re talking about, it’s very frustrating.

There is absolutely a living to be made in circus, but how good a performer you are is secondary to how good of a business person you are. Making a living is about managing the business end.

What do you do when you get foot cramps during a performance, using those tails?

Treating a foot cramp is part basic mermaiding. Basically what you need is a hard flex to the foot. That can be accomplished by pressing against the bottom of the tank, the side, or with a mer-buddy.

What is the hardest thing about being a professional mermaid? What is your favorite thing about being a professional mermaid?

This is a great question.

The hardest thing the conditions: between the cold, the eyes, the skin and hair damage, the hypoxia, it's a physically demanding and brutal discipline

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Favorite thing - Definitely the reactions from the patrons, kids and adults alike. Also there's an amazing moment right before you go on, when you look in the mirror, and get see yourself as a powerful and magical creature.

From one mermaid to another, how do you learn to hold your breath longer?

FREEDIVING TRAINING. DO NOT DO THIS ON YOUR OWN. IT'S EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. LEARN FROM A PROFESSIONAL

Thank you for stressing the safety aspect of freediving. Basically, never dive alone and/or without proper safety protocol.

Done right, with proper safety, it's not dangerous at all.

precisely. But we see far too many enthusiasts trying to learn off youtube. No Go. If you want to learn. do it the right way. Learn the safety first. Otherwise it's a recipe for disaster.

What inspired the designs for your tails?

This is actually an awesome question because we're all ordering brand new tails tonight.

Morgana - I love rose gold and copper and I wanted a HUGE fluke.

Seanna - Mine is inspired by the long eared sunfish from her home river - the Shenandoah

Katja - Dragons are actually my inspiration rather than fish

Tasha - Is inspired by the marlin because she's from Ocean City MD which is the white marlin capital of the world, and she's super fast.

Izriella - Deep deep sea, trench mermaid, and her new tail is inspired by her harry potter house, Slytherin

Jessalee - Bright colorful glam, and as many features as possible

Charotte - Crosssection of beautiful and badass.

How much do, Said tails cost? And what type of material is best?

Professional tails are made of silicone and range from $2000 to $8000 dollars

So is there like a website for these tail makers?

www.mertailor.com
www.finfolkproductions.com

www.themernation.com

Could we see some pictures? They all sound amazing!

OMG YES. Check out our FB: www.facebook.com/CircusSirenPod and our IG: @CircusSirenPod

How are you mermaids doing tonight?

Just trying to keep up with the questions :o

Hey girls,

Figured I'd swim on by, What is your most memorable mermaid moment that made you say "THIS IS WHY I DO WHAT I DO"??

Morgana - For me it was a child running in, breakneck speed to the tank. She stopped dead about a foot away, jaw dropped, and 3 seconds later she just whispered "wow"

Katja - Aquarium of Niagara - there was a little kid that was silent during the whole meet and greet, but after they left he fought back through the crowd just to give me a little rock and said "this is for you"

JessaLee - Honestly, all of them. Every second is such magic.

Charlotte - Everytime a little one looks at me and believes in magic for just a moment, it makes all the pain worth it. Also, swimming is awesome.

Izriella - At Fairy Festival, first tank performance, and this little girl got a gem from me, didn't say anything, but then when she walked away she screamed "I met a REAL mermaid!"

Seanna - Probably the little girl with the sword. I told her it was awesome she had a sword and she goes "yeah, because I protect myself"

Quatermaster Silk - for me the respect and appreciation of the mermaids I work with makes it worth it. They value what I build for them and trust me to keep them safe.

Can you share more about the lore? And does each character (mermaid and wrangler) have their own backstory and how all the characters met? Thanks!

Take a seat. Here we go.

General pod Lore: There are different kinds of mermaids just like there are different kinds of birds. Some birds fly, some don't. Some mermaids breath water, some don't. It's important not to contradict what a child might "know," and especially not contradict what other performers may have told them.

For our part, we're marine mammals meaning we breath air and hold our breath under water. Since we can't get sea water into the tank, we can't hold our breath as long as in our "natural" environment, so only 3-4 minutes. We also maintain a brackish tank, since we have both salt and fresh water mermaids: "This way no one is happy"

We give live birth. We speak merish as a first language and a variety of human languages as a second language, depending on where we're from. (True story: members of the pod speak German, Spanish, ASL, French, Arabic and even Mandarin) We *do* get legs if we dry out enough, which is why we need to regularly rotate during meet and greets (cant get "legs" in front of children ;) It's a family show) And the same magic that allows us to get legs effects our vocal chords, making languages other than merish almost impossible when we have our tails, unless we're on our magic throne.

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We have SO MUCH lore (and a book series coming out next year about it) but here are the broad strokes of the individual legends (each of which relate to the individual history and real life experiences of the mermaid)

Morgana is the bastard daughter of Anne Bonney, who's conception saved Anne from hanging. She is a saltwater mermaid from the Caribbean sea.

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Charlotte is a fresh water mermaid from the lakes of upstate new york where she used to guard a castle. She is a botanist.

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Katja is a sea-serpent/dragon variety. The last of her kind, she lost her family to pollution

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Izriella is the abyssal siren. From the depths of the mariana trench, she protects the deep water coral reefs

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Seanna is the Shenandoah Siren, a fresh water mermaid from the chesapeake watershed in virginia who's passion is conservation.

Tasha is from the Chesapeake bay. A super fast (fore real, fastest in the pod) marlin mermaid, she has a special fondness for sea turtles.

JessaLee is a wakandan mermaid who journeyed forth looking for shiny baubles, and found sisters instead.

Kaitlin is our pacific lotus flower. Half asian and half european she bridges worlds, human and mer alike.

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Captain Coates is exactly that, a pirate captain who found a mutually beneficial arrangement with the sirens of the deep

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Quartermaster silk is a PT barnum type (the legend, not the man) a collector of oddities he finds value in befriending that which is rare.

You mentioned that you are certified freedivers. Have any of you ever had a SWB or near blackout during a performance? Do you have a separate safety person/team or do you handle the safety for each other as a team?

Not during a performance, but LMCs and shallow-water blakcouts happen during training.

Do you party? How do you party? Meir Mortals asking.

We party like pirates and we drink like fish.

That youtube video really doesn't show you off in the best circumstances, do you have any quality videos of you in professional aquariums so we can see the full effect ?

Sadly we seem to always be on the other side of the glass, so we aren't great at taking video but there are clips on the FB page

That page gives a much better impression of what you do you should link to that.

Questions:

1: Do you have any limitations to the types of aquarium and its contents that you would swim in ? ( no dangerous fish for example or must be of a certain size )

2: I've seen a few performers like this, are you all one big union of underwater performers or are there multiple mermaid businesses ?

1) Yes. First and foremost we are guests in any aquarium setting. Both the animal life and the exhibit structure come before we do. We will cancel a gig rather than compromise either one.

That being said, we are infinitely adaptable. Assuming the animals are ok with it we can do just about anything. Charlotte, Morgana and Seanna once dove a 52 degree aquarium tank.

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2) No. Sadly there is not an established union. Circus, diving, modeling, and everything in-between remains the wild wild west. There is no security, no pension, and its incumbent on the artist to set the safety standard.

What does a typical day look like for you? By extension what makes some days more difficult than others?

"Typical" is hard because gigs vary so widely but we'll focus on "all day" festival gigs.Normally call is around 9am. Most of us sleep in the company camper on site so we wake up and make breakfast, do make up/hair/etc. and set a schedule for the day, and do morning tank maintenance.Performance normally starts around 10am. Tank sets are on rotation, anywhere from 45 minutes to 90 minutes.We rotate throughout the day: number of sets, length of sets, and number of mermaids varies based on tank and venue.Day wraps up typically between 6 and 8pm.

After close there's at least an hour of tank maintenance, tails need to be cleaned, eyes need to be treated.We go to cracker barrel (shout out to Charlotte, NC cracker barrel, we love you) for dinner and eat multiple meals per performer (SO HUNGRY)

And we're normally crashing by 9pm because we have to do it again tomorrow.

The thing that will throw a monkey wrench in the whole thing is weather. Rain is whatever but if it's cold we have to shorten sets and add rewarming times to make sure no one goes hypodermic.

What kind of treatment do you need for your eyes?

Typically gel drops before the set. Post set we eye rinse, add revitalizing drops, and repeat as necessary. But it's hard to be definitive as eye maintenance is a function of the water chemistry.

What happens during rewarming?

Typically we have a specific area set up with a heat lamp, an electric blanket, a forced air heater, and warm, fluffy, dry, towels. Goal is to raise the core temperature both safely and quickly.

Have you done tours outside the country? Or will you ever consider having tours outside the country?

Yes, we love to travel internationally. We've performed in Jamaica, Thailand, Mexico, Canada, the Bahamas, Bermuda and we look forward to traveling more in the future.

Which tailmaker(s) are you ordering from?

So, we're all over the map.
As a pod we have tails from, FinFolk, Mertailor, Siren Tails, Syren Studios, Mernation, and Mermaid Creations
Our new order is going to mertailor

Approximately how many times per week do you hear a joke about “making some clams” in relation to finances?

honestly, that's a new one. Kudos to you.

typically it's "sand dollars" and we've heard every fish pun imaginable. At this point the company has a standing bet: tell us a fish pun that we a) haven't heard before and b) is actually funny and we will buy you a drink.

How are you operating a computer underwater?

With GFCI

Are Circus Siren Pod mermaids the Mystic Mermaids in the Denver Aquarium? :):)

No, though two of our members have performed there. They are a separate company private to that aquarium.

What inspired you to start mermaiding?

Morgana - I'm an aerialist, and I wanted a way to flip around and be acrobatic that was easier on my joints.

Jessalee and Katja - Morgana asked me

Charlotte and Izriella - borrowed a tail once and was hooked

Tasha - Always been a waterbug

Randy and Silk - I can't say no to beautiful women

Seanna - A facebook video

Where is your favorite place to perform?

Morgana - I love casinos personally

Jessalee and Charlotte - anywhere where they can be in the giant tank

Seanna and Izriella - Aquariums

Katja - Likes variety

Greg - Renaissance Faires

Tasha - Casinos

Randy - Any event where the boss (morgana) is there

Casinos because people throw chips into the tank right?

Morgana says - I like casinos because that's where I started as a baby performer aerialist almost a decade ago. There's a special amount of showmenship that happens only in the casino atmosphere and my showgirl heart loves it. But man, it'd be cool if they tossed chips in the tank

Are you waiting for the live action Little Mermaid movie like I am ?

Can't wait. We're all Disney Dorks

Thanks for doing this AMA! My 3 year old daughter met some mermaids (no swimming was involved so it may not have been you all) at the Renfaire this past year and those pictures are my favorite because of how in awe she was to be able to be sitting next to a mermaid ❤

1.What is/are any favorite stories about fans?

1. Do you feel magical (like santa clause) with younger kids?

2. How long does it take to get 'in costume'?

*words

1. There are far too many to count. My personal favorite is the girl who kept tackle-hugging me so hard I fell over. We routinely (daily) get gifts from children and we treasure each and every one. I think the regularity of gifts is unique to being a mermaid.
2. Yes. Absolutely. But it's not just kids. To children you're magic because "OMG ITS A REAL MERMAID" but to adults you're magic because "Holy Hell. There's people who *actually* grew up to be professional mermaids. Maybe it's not to late to live my dream too." And honestly, making adults believe in magic again is the greatest feeling.
3. Time. It takes... time. There's a LOT of lube involved and it's neither a magical nor beautiful process. On a good day, half of us can do it in 5 minutes flat. The other half are lucky to pull it off in 15. (Just the tail. I'm not even going to get started on makeup and wigs.)

What are your favorite fictional mermaid? Such as Books, Myths, or any form of media.

Morgana - Toss up between Pirates of the Caribbean and a trilogy book series known as the "water" series

Katja - I identify very strongly with selkies

JessaLee - Peter Pan mermaids from the movie "Hook"

Izriella - Sirena from mythology

Tasha - Original H2O Mermaids *NOT* the Mako

Seanna - The aquamarine movie

Charlotte - I associate with water deamons

If your already an established mermaid using your ownname, do you recommend changing and starting to use a stage name that's more mermaidish? Kinda wish I'd started with a mermaid name but now think it's kinda late to change it.

Half of us use a stage name and half use their human name. There's one or two of us that changed our name early. We don't think there's any need to make a "mermaidy" name. If you do you may even end up more generic. A stage name can help protect your privacy, but if you already branding it's not necessarily worth loosing that recognition.

Have you had any problems with creepy people yet?

Always. Merverts are a constant occupational hazard. The primary purpose of the wranglers is to protect us.

Is it really better down where it's wetter?

Always

Do you ever use tools like sinus savers or weights during performances?

No. As professionals, we are expected to be able to control our own buoyancy and maintain sinus cavities, flooding or not, as needed without it affecting the performance

What do your wranglers do?

What don't we do? Literally everything. Everything from physical transportation and site set up to getting the mermaids in their tails and making sure they're safe during a gig. Transportation, Engineering, Load In/Out, Personal Security, Health Management - Anything it takes to live up to rule #1: "No Dead Mermaids"

Thats a good rule.

rule #1: No Dead Mermaids
rule #2: Don't Pee In The Tank

My wife and I went to Portland for vacation and they happen to have this mermaid parade that ends at a park where they sing.

Have you guys done that?

Not the one in portland, but we've done others

If you swim in aquarium tanks with other fish, how do the fish react? Do they get scared and try to swim away?

Yes and no. Learning how to ethically interact with wildlife is absolutely key. We are lucky to have a professional mermaid, marine biologist, and former researcher for NOAA as our personal instructor in this matter. Not all mermaids are qualified to work with animals in a confined space like that. One must respect that the fish are 1000x more fragile than you are, and you're invading their home. to answer your question specifically, it depends on a million factors: breed, volume of water, even temperature can play a role. But between our training and our understanding that we are guests in *their* home, we are yet to cause and issue.

P.S. We will cancel a gig before we will jeopardize an animal that has no choice in the matter. Luckily we've only had to play that card once so far with a particularly irritated eel.

What was the hardest part about integrating with human society? Did you have natural animosity towards humans due to mermaids depictions in media?

Mermaid depictions in the media are that we would drown people that we don't like, and we're generally miffed that we're not allowed to do that.

When you bring your own tank, do you transport it empty and refill it at each destination, or do you transport a full tank? How much does a full tank weigh?

Absolutely transport empty. The big one weighs over 15 tons when full.

What moisturizer do you recommend?

Each mermaid has their own favorite. More than brand, diligence is key. must apply EVERY day.

Yo.

Being a mermaid sounds dope. How do you swim to landlocked countries? Can mermaids breathe in both fresh and salt water?

Our particular lore is that we can breath in all water and on land.
We move about by a combination of 3 important things: Engineering, Magic, and Pirates

How has global warming impacted your habitats and lifestyles?

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Fabulous question. This is something we harp on in our shows. the sister of global warming is ocean acidification. The pH of the ocean is actually decreasing and becoming more acidic which is decimating the food chain from the bottom, up.

Recommendations for a first tail?

Start with fabric for sure. We recommend mertailor or finfolk

This sounds like my wife's dream job. She plays water polo and swims competitively. I will let the local Ren Fair owners know about your act. Are you booked out for a long time?

Tell your wife auditions are in February at Mer-magic con (www.MerMagicCon.com)

We do several renn faires and are typically booked for the full run of each one.

Merwranglers, any suggestions for interacting with the crowd?

Captain Randy Coates - Being smarter than them helps.... As far as tips go: try to find common ground to build on- maybe it's their band t-shirt, or you poke fun at them for having a phone, etc.

Quartermaster Silk - You are seen for more time than the mermaids are so it's your job to keep the crowd engaged. And when you engage, you have to be clear that the mermaids are not objects to grope/touch/or physically intimidate. Your number one job is to make sure the performers are safe, the crowd is second.

What kind of shampoo do you use?

Kind of all over the map. We do all maintain long hair, which is more personal preference than professional, and half of us color. 75% of us use shampoo and two are on "no poo" systems. regardless we seem to universally go for sulfate-free options and use hair masks regularly.

What would you recommend for someone who wants to get started as a mermaid? Aerial first, swimming first, free diving lessons, meeting other mermaids?

Start with meeting other mermaids, and then see if you even like it just as a hobby from there you will be able to get a feel for whether you will love it or hate it and whether it is worth pursuing farther!

Okay but are mermaids real?

With 90% of the ocean unexplored, one cannot reasonably claim that they are not real: only that either they live too deep to be discovered, or are else intelligent enough to know that discovery would be detrimental.

As it stands, this team sticks to what we know of marine life (which is a helluva lot) and doesn't speculate about what we don't.

In this political correct environment are their any Merman's ? If so is their any in you group?

There are mers of all genders and we have mermen debuting next year.

What are ya'll drinkin?

Katja made mulled wine. Lots of champagne and white wine

Would you rather be top half fish or bottom half fish and why?

Bottom half fish. What good are legs compared to a tail in the water?

do you think that you could one day be as good as the darling mermaid darlings?

Never heard of them. Maybe?

Do you ever get all the water out of your ears?

Yes. There are ear drops designed just for that.

Do your eyes hurt after a performance/after opening them under water for so long? How do you deal with it?

It depends on water chemistry. If it's our tank we can balance and control it to the point that there is barely any irritation. As a matter of course we do not open our eyes in public chlorinated pools because our health remains paramount. In aquariums or public salt pools, there is often lingering irritation and we have an eye-flushing protocol in place to treat. In all regards we limit sets to preserve performer health.

Has any performer ever puked in the tank? And what happens after? Besides a lengthy tank cleaning. I would run away in shame personally.

No. No one has puked or peed in the tank to date. We're far to considerate of our sisters for that. Additionally, we don't allow performers to "push through" when they are sick. Water is a vehicle for bacteria so under no circumstances are infectious performers allowed to go on.

What is the quintessential skill to have to be successful as a pro mermaid and to travel the world as you all do?

Adaptability.

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No two gigs are alike. No two venues are alike. Patrons hit you with questions out of left field constantly. If you cannot adapt without stress and think on your feet you will never survive the industry at our level.

What's your favorite piece of nautical folklore?

Selkies, Mermaids, and krakens are all pod favorites

Favorite event that you've done?

Morgana - I love casinos personally

Jessalee and Charlotte - anywhere where they can be in the giant tank

Seanna and Izriella - Aquariums

Katja - Likes variety

Greg - Renaissance Faires

Tasha - Casinos

Randy - Any event where the boss (morgana) is there

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Hello! I was scrolling through, and some of the questions inspired me so here I go:

I think the description of the video stated that your jobs is basically doing exercise, but in water. So, does that mean that you could, hypothetically, only do that type of exercise every day to stay fit since it's such a physical job?

Yes. It likely would not be the most balanced approach, but if we're simply considering "healthy" to be a combination of flexibility, endurance, cardiovascular health and archaic height/weight standards: then yes. Being a mermaid will keep you extremely healthy. We regularly down 5000 calories a day just to offset the exertion of the craft. In fact there is a running joke in our company having to do with body-fat content based on the fact that tails are custom molded, and since muscle is denser, new mermaids lose inches but not weight. The joke is "welcome to Circus Siren. P.S. your tail no longer fits"

Do you ever get weird women hitting on you or requesting weird sexual favors?

Women are typically less problematic.

Have you been to great falls Montana?

None of us have been to Montana. But there are mermaids at the Sip n Dip out that way, though they're a different style

Would you rather sleep with a merman with the bottom half of a fish, or one with the top half of a fish?

We’ll mermaids are actually mammals, so it wouldn’t really work if the bottom half her fish...

How come we never see any morbidly obese mermaids?

You don't get out enough. Mermaids come in all the body diversity of humans, we're just longer because of the fins.

Do y'all do any private dances swims performances, like in a hot tub. When's the next time y'all gonna be in Arkansas?

Really neat talent.

We do all kinds of events as long as they are safe