Mermaid camp at Weeki Wachee theme park in Florida opens

Add to My Stories Who wouldn't want the chance to swim like a mermaid? In America's land of funshine, an historic Florida water park already famous for its legion of performing mermaids is offering would-be ariels the chance to don a fin and and 'dance' like a real-life underwater creature.
For a few days in September, Weeki Wachee Springs' very own troupe of mermaids will turn budding water babies into fully fledged queens of the sea.Scroll down for video

Aqua marina: The trainees hope to emulate the stars of the regular show seen here performing for the crowds

The theme park's mermaid shows have been dazzling audiences with their Lycra tails since the 1940s, but the idea of training uninitiated landlubbers only happened recently.One of those making their dreams come true is Penelope Gonzalez.Speaking to Bay News 9, she said: 'Every little girl wants to be a princess or a mermaid or a fairy and for me it was mermaid.'It's such an art form and its such a physically challenging art form and to be able to achieve just a tiny bit of that.'

Aquatic trainees: The girls are put through basic training exercises including underwater acrobatics...but there's always room for a little showing off
The apprentice aquanauts go through a series of step-by-step introductions to buoyancy, underwater acrobatics before finally gaining their attachable rubber fins.

Speaking to National Geographic the mermaids described how hard it is to learn to work and breathe underwater.

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As they work without scuba equipment or masks the participants must learn to breathe using an air hose. The mermaids must learnto take gulps of air from the hose, balancing the pressure on their ears and sinuses while being buffeted by a 12-mile-an-hour current.

Floater: A recruit dons her tail while she practices with her new Lycra fin Barbara Wynns, one of the camp instructors, said teaching new pupils is such a privilege.
She said: 'Because the first time they get in it's like they are struggling and then when you see them complete a ballet move you see their body like, yes I did it.'

History: The Mermaids of Weeki Wachee have been dazzling audiences since the 1940's The 'real life' mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs perform shows twice daily, including a retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen classic The Little Mermaid.While the water park was once a major attraction, less than 20 mermaids and two mermen now perform at the attraction.