Belgium's first mermaid school to open in October

You may not have noticed in your local swimming pool, but adults dressing as mermaids is a thing. "We’re already predicting one of the big trends for the coming season," announced De Morgen - mermaiding.

It’s apparently time to stop hunting those elusive Pokémon creatures and squeeze your legs into a colourful fish tail. After the neighbours took it up in Germany, France and the Netherlands, more and more Flemish women are now falling for a mermaid’s tail.

And don’t think it’s just about lying around on the beach looking like an underwater Disney character. "Believe me, it’s a serious workout," one Flemish mermaid insisted. "It’s particularly good training for your stomach muscles."

And it seems you can even make a career out of it. With more mermaids taking to the water, it’s becoming a serious business across the world. An estimated 1,000 people in the US – mainly women – earn a living playing a mermaid at events. And now it’s becoming a serious career option in Flanders.

Celine Van de Voorde from Ghent hands out business cards that say “professional mermaid”. She says: "When I was 16, I found clips on YouTube made by professional mermaids in Australia, and I thought it was wonderful. I began to make tails, she continued, and learned to swim like a mermaid."

Meanwhile, the Ghent woman has her own company, Mermaid Celine, and you can hire her as a mermaid for photo shoots, films or any type of work where a mermaid is needed.

Now there are plans to offer courses for mermaids. The first Flemish mermaid school is soon to open, reported De Standaard. The indoor diving centre TODI is opening on 28 October in the former mining site at Beringen and will launch a mermaid school.

It’s not just about the swimming, Celine explains, but a mermaid tail also has an influence on you as a person. "I feel more elegant," she shares, "more feminine, and sometimes even sexy. It really gives your self-confidence a boost."