Mermaid school is about to make a splash in Ottawa, teaching swimmers how to navigate the waters with legs bound in a tail.

Aquamermaid, a company that launched in Montreal and expanded to Toronto, will be offering classes starting Sept. 13.

Lifeguard Lauren Trick, 18, said training to teach the course fulfills a childhood wish.

"It's a dream come true," she said.

"When I was a little kid, I remember, in my pool I'd put on flippers and I'd pretend to be a mermaid, keeping my feet together."

Safety concerns around bound legs

Concerns that bound legs cause a safety risk have led to a ban on mermaid tails in City of Edmonton pools.

Chris Wagg, the Ottawa chair of the Lifesaving Society, said it's difficult to tread water with legs restricted in a tail.

She added the society is not opposed to using the tails, but encouraged people to take classes and pair up with a buddy when using them.

"What I would worry is that somebody would find themselves in trouble in deep water and they're bound together and they would panic and not be able to get out of the fin, which could lead to a drowning," she said.

I wanted to put my passions together for swimming, Disney princesses with mermaid and also modeling. - Aquamermaid founder Marielle Chartier Hénault,

Aquamermaid founder Marielle Chartier Hénault said classes are taught by lifeguards in a supervised pool, with one teacher to every two students.

"It's all about fun. All about discovering new exercise," she said.

"I wanted to put my passions together for swimming, Disney princesses with mermaids and also modelling. I started something that I'm really proud of and people love it."

Trick admitted swimming with a tail is harder than it looks.

"Come to the classes, get the basics at least, before you start going off your own and experimenting," she said.

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