After real-life Ariel rescued a cow in the River Thames, we make waves with some mermaids

IT might sound fishy, but mermaids are real – they even rescue stricken livestock.

Yesterday, we told how Lindsey Cole raised the alarm after encountering a drowning cow during a 200-mile swim wearing a mermaid’s tail. But Lindsey is far from alone.

The UK now has 15 mermaid schools teaching skills such as bubble-blowing, dolphin strokes and poses. This year, Dorset hosted the Merlympics, where merfolk from all over Europe competed. In Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida, mermaids have held a famous live show for 70 years. Amy Jones went to meet them.

Being Ariel from The Little Mermaid is a dream for many little girls.

And if you want your day under the sea, Weeki Wachee Springs is the place to do it.

The mermaids here have been a popular tourist attraction since 1947. Even­ Elvis went see a show. Performer Breanna Wardlow, 18, said: “I used to come and watch as a kid and I always hoped that one day it would be me swimming around behind that glass.”

Breanna’s dream came true but I soon learn that turning a grown woman into a mermaid takes more than some Disney magic.

Watching a show at the Mermaid Theatre — an underground auditorium cut into limestone in a 100ft natural spring — I wonder how the girls perform entire routines without surfacing.

Do all these gals really have gills?

There is no mask, no oxygen tank, not even a snorkel in sight. Do these gals really have gills?

In fact, they get their air from oxygen tubes hidden deep in the spring but the powerful current makes this incredibly difficult.

Thankfully, my first job is to apply the signature mermaid look — pale face, bright lipstick, blusher and lashings of mascara.

Another mermaid, 18-year-old Mariah Jela, said: “All eye make-up has to be water-proof but basically we just put on a shed-load and hope it doesn’t all wash off.”

That is my usual philosophy for a night out. So far, so good.

But, as I’m presented with my shiny blue tail, I realise this is going to be a struggle.

At the fin-end are two flippers. Once my feet are secured inside, I have to pull the Lycra-blend material up and over my hips.

As I hitch up my tail lying horizontally, I look like a worm having a fit.

My mermaid guide is Taylor Kane from Panama City Beach, Florida.

The 19-year-old has been a mermaid for a year and she is going to teach me to look graceful under the water. Good luck with that.

While we are still on dry land, she shows me two easy moves — the presentation of my tail and a sitting pose.

I feel like Katy Perry or Kim Kardashian — every celeb worth their salt has thrown on a mermaid’s tail at some point.

After the slightly awkward shoot, we are in the deep, cool waters of the Weeki Wachee Springs.

In spite of the scorching Florida sunshine, the water feels incredibly cold. Swimming over to the performance area is difficult in itself. With my legs out of the equation, I flop to the show spot as Taylor moves gracefully up and down like a dolphin.

Then it is time to sink deep and pose for the cameras.

Water fills my nostrils and the last thing I want to do is smile. I start to panic and scramble to the surface after a pathetic amount of time.

Finally, I muster a half-decent pose but I can’t manage a smile.

That goes against all my natural instincts.

Afterwards, experienced mermaid Danielle DeMonaco, 26, tries to reassure me.

She says: “It took me a long time to get to grips with it. The air literally forces itself down your throat.”

As I cough and splutter to the side I wonder, is it really worth it? Would I not be better off just doing a few sit-ups and squats to get into siren-worthy shape?

Back home, Michelle Forsbrey, who organised the Merlympics in Dorset this year, explains: “In terms of fitness, it’s really good for you.

"It uses all of your muscles — core, upper and lower leg, arms . . . even your mouth muscles because you’re smiling all the time!

“It’s good for cardiovascular fitness and your sense of wellbeing too. Most people feel happy and relaxed when they see water.”

While the UK shoal of mermaids is not quite as established as the Florida faction, we are hot on their, er, ’eels.

Michelle, who also runs Mayim Mermaid Academy, adds: “In the UK it started around 2014 and I was one of the first people to start offering mermaid classes.

“I’ve trained about 500 mermaids in the last few years and they travel quite far to come and see me in Bournemouth, even from Scotland.

“I have had a group lesson with two 60-year-olds and a seven-year-old. When I started there were three or four mermaid schools but now there are about ten to 15 big ones.”

As well as lessons, there are mermaid parties, make-overs and pageants.

In July this year the Miss Mermaid UK final, with 200 entrants, was held in Northampton.

Two months later, 324 real-life Ariels gathered on the beach at Bexhill-on-Sea to set the Guinness World Record for most merfolk in one place.

And if you want concrete evidence that mermaids really are taking over, a recent survey showed that three times more people would now prefer to be one than a unicorn.

The best bit about being a mermaid is it’s apparently one exercise where blokes won’t be checking you out, apart from the odd “mervert” with a fetish for shell bras and scaled tails, of course.

Back in Weeki Wachee, Danielle told me: “Guys aren’t really into it.”

All fins considered, though, I’m not sure the underwater life is for me.

You can lead a girl to water but you can’t make her a mermaid — no matter how much mascara she slaps on.

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