Dive expert helps mermaids make a splash!

Underwater film maker Lindsay Brown lent her aquatic expertise for Dundee singer-songwriter Nicola Madill’s soon to be released track, Mia.

Lindsay (47) played a central role in the Flyboy Creative shoot, assisted by fellow British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC) members from across Scotland, including Alex Coram from Cupar.

The team spent eight weeks producing the ethereal film which depicts an underwater fantasy world in which a mermaid falls in love with a fisherman and struggles against the veil influences of a mermaid queen called Mia.

Lindsay - a mum-of-two who has also worked for the tv series Outlander - said: “It’s much more difficult to film underwater and people underestimate it when it comes to an underwater production.

She added: “I helped them to understand how things interact in water. For instance, you will get cold, even in water of 27C, if you’re in it for a long time.

“At one stage Nicola said to me that she was tired and it was a reaction to the cold and blood sugar levels dropping. It’s a simple thing to me as I dive every week.”

Singer Nicola said she found inspiration for the video while looking out over the water at Broughty Ferry.

“I’m quite a confident swimmer but I had no idea of what the training would entail,” she said.

“When I started off I could only hold my breath for 14 seconds underwater and by the end of the training I could hold my breath for over two minutes.”

She also had to learn to keep her eyes open underwater on the “exhausting” ten-hour shoot.

“Your eyes sting to begin with but you build up a tolerance,” she said.

“We then had to master a dolphin kick and act at the same time and once we grasped all of that we then had to put on costumes, mermaid tails and weights!”

BSAC chief executive Mary Tetley said: “This is a marvellous and inspiring creative project, and we’re proud to have such talented people as Lindsay in the BSAC family.

“The video for Mia is absolutely beautiful and the folklore inspired story involving a mermaid will resonate with many of our BSAC members, as well as the wider music-loving public.”