<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" When we found out about the genius people in Spain who - probably not long after watching The Little Mermaid - spotted a massive gap in the market for humans who want to turn themselves into mermaids (because DON&amp;#039;T WE ALL) we were very excited. But today that excitement has gone up a gear as we&amp;#039;ve learnt that the UK&amp;#039;s first mermaid school has opened up in Cornwall, thanks to the wonderfully mystical people at Freedive UK.  As the name suggests, the diving school specialises in freediving courses - which is where a diver has to hold their breath while plunging to the depths of the ocean, as opposed to using an oxygen tank like scuba divers do.  But having used &amp;#039;monofins&amp;#039; - which involve a diver using flippers that are joined together to create the effect of just one fin, as opposed to two human legs - they were frequently mistaken for mermaids under the water by scuba divers. Which is where the idea sprung from, and now we are the lucky generation who get to be alive in an age where we can learn how to be a mermaid.  Apparently, being a mermaid actually requires a totally different set of skills to simply freediving with a monofin; hence the need to create a whole course dedicated to it. So aside from the fact that mermaids obviously have to wear a sparkly tail and (optional) coconut bra, these are the differences:  &amp;quot;The mermaid tails are not as easy to use as freediving monofins. The bodysuit slows you down in the water as they have more drag and the fins are smaller than traditional monofins so they have less power. Freedivers are also focused on covering distance primarily, whilst mermaids need to be body conscious, spatially aware with excellent buoyancy control and the ability to look good without a mask!&amp;quot;  So it&amp;#039;s pretty complicated, really. It seems being a mermaid is not for the faint-hearted. But once you&amp;#039;ve learnt the basics, the course - which lasts a day - really will provide you with a gorgeous sparkly tail to morph you into a one-woman tribute act of Ariel.   And if you&amp;#039;re dressing up for the occasion, then you&amp;#039;re going to need photographers taking snaps of you elegantly gliding through the water; otherwise you&amp;#039;d be missing out on a massive opportunity for a showstopping Facebook cover photo. So it&amp;#039;s a good job that comes as part of the package, too. Basically, this mermaid school will suit any human who has ever had the desire to be half human, half mystical creature of the ocean. So most of the country has probably already signed up. And that includes us, so we&amp;#039;ll see you down there. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/entertainment/news/a32578/first-mermaid-school-uk-freedive/>