Odd Jobs: Professional Mermaid

The worst part about being a mermaid, according to Staycy McConnell, a 31-year-old, full-time mermaid performer at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park in Florida, is all the swimming.

It may sound like a contradiction—not liking to swim when you’re a mermaid is like being a tax accountant who’s annoyed by math—but the job requires more time underwater than even the most skilled swimmer would be comfortable with. The Florida air is usually warm, but the temperature in the Weeki Wachee freshwater springs, where McConnell performs with her fellow mermaids for packed houses three times a day, seven days a week, is usually in the low 70s. (The U.S. Water Fitness Association claims that the ideal water temperature for adults is between 85 and 89 degrees.) “If you’re not one who really likes cold water, it can be pretty miserable,” says McConnell. “Especially when you’re down there 30 to 45 minutes at a time.” Which just so happens to be the length of an average mermaid show.