Mermaid tails banned at rec centres.

‘Shallow water blackout’ among the safety concerns cited by city

Edmonton’s little mermaids are set to be disappointed.

Recreation centres across the city have banned mermaid tails over safety concerns with a toy that gives children a single flipper and pins their legs together as they swim. But some parents wish there was a way to continue.

“It’s all she wanted for Christmas,” said Melissa Rowe of her 12-year-old daughter, Genelle.

Her seven-year-old daughter loves her tail as well.

Rowe stood in the water supervising her girls while they used them at city pools in January. But after a few months, city staff told them to take the tails off.

“I was sort of mad because I really liked swimming with them,” said Genelle. “It felt like I was a real mermaid. It was really cool.

“It’s really easy to swim; it gives you more control.”

Rob Campbell, supervisor of aquatic recreation for the City of Edmonton, said the mermaid tails could make for a great 10-year-old’s birthday party with the right supervision.

“We might get there, but right now we’re just more concerned about the safety of patrons.”

The colourful mermaid suits with sparkles and fishscale patterns are sold online and started to take off about a year ago. A mermaid school in Montreal opened several months ago with fitness classes for children and adults.

Strong swimmers can use them to swim like a fish underwater, but Campbell is concerned children might take several large breaths in a row or hold their breath for too long and black out as they swim.

“If you black out in a pool, you’re going to drown. That’s the biggest problem with it,” he said.

Even experienced swimmers can fall victim to what the industry calls “shallow water blackout,” Campbell added.

If anyone plans to use the mermaid suits at a lake this summer, they should supervise their children very closely to make sure they don’t hold their breath underwater too many times in a row.