PADI has launched a new programme aimed at giving all those women (and men) – who want to tap into their inner mer-person – the PADI Mermaid range of courses.
Did you know that the word ‘mermaid' is of Chinese origin and roughly translates to ‘human fish'? In many Asian cultures like China, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam, the word ‘mermaid' is not gender-specific and therefore, the words ‘man' or ‘woman' need to be added to specify to a particular gender.
The PADI Mermaid programme is a stand-alone programme, and like the PADI Freediver programme, it doesn’t require scuba or freediver instructor ratings as an underlying certification.
The PADI Mermaid program consists of four student and three instructor level ratings:
PADI Mermaid Student Levels
- PADI Discover Mermaid Experience – no prerequisites
- PADI Basic Mermaid Course – ability to swim at least 25 metres and float comfortably at the surface for at least three minutes
- PADI Mermaid Course – ability to swim at least 50 metres and float comfortably on the surface for five minutes
- PADI Advanced Mermaid Course – ability to swim at least 100 metres and float comfortably on the surface for at least ten minutes
PADI Mermaid Professional Levels
- Basic Mermaid Instructor – can teach Discover Mermaid experience and Basic Mermaid course
- Mermaid Instructor – can teach Discover Mermaid experience, Basic Mermaid course, Mermaid course and Advanced Mermaid course
- Mermaid Instructor Trainer – can teach Mermaid Instructor course and orientation
