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| Photo by https://www.instagram.com/kate_ua_photography. Please follow & support her! |
Hi! I am still new to underwater cosplays, but I do have a few credentials. I've been swimming since I was very young and was in swim schools and local competitive teams during most of my school years (so almost 20+ years). In the past year, I also picked up mermaiding and underwater modeling. However, most cosplays are not underwater friendly. And some cosplayers are not able to shell out $1000s for expensive silicone or rubber accessories. I do recommend supporting real professional underwater sports and modeling gear/accessories first because they are professional grade quality. But in the meantime, here are some affordable options that I have experimented with! Note: I also included a section on how to make some of your cosplays fully or partially waterproof if you don't want to construct something entirely new just for water.
WARNING: Before trying out underwater cosplays, become a strong swimmer and be careful of you & your photographer/spotter's limitations when doing anything underwater and never swim alone. I also highly recommend starting out with pools rather than going to natural bodies of water.
What you need to consider:
- how safe it is for underwater (including marine life if you decide to take this to natural water)
- how floaty/sinky and hydrodynamic your accessories will make you
- how waterproof the material & colors will be
Here are some materials that won't work for underwater cosplays:
- Eva foam (and possibly worbla): Surprise! This extremely popular cosplay material is awful for water. Yes it's technically "waterproof", but underwater, it's bulky, causes drag, is not hydrodynamic, and very floaty. It's still a foam so imagine if you're trying to swim or pose underwater with pool foam floaties strapped to you. Also, if you paint your foam prop, you'll also have to figure out how to waterproof the paint. Surprisingly, I have found that gel polish is flexible enough and waterproof enough to protect paint on foam props underwater, and miraculously I found that hot glue+foam doesn't come apart in the water. I would be careful about using other glues, especially toxic ones, as I don't know how they hold up in water, especially if there is also marine life.
- Cardboard, similar paper things, or anything attached with water-based glues: this is a no brainer- paper & related materials are not waterproof at all.
- Most normal electronics: electricity and water does not go well together and can be very dangerous, but i have found some options!
- Some plastics: WARNING: It is advised not to bring glitter/rhinestones/etc to
natural bodies of water as microplastics are not good for marine life. Most cosplayers aren't making their own plastic stuff,
but many store-bought hollow plastic props/accessories/etc will float and glitter on the surface of non-resin or non-silicone materials is likely to fall off. I am not sure if 3D printed props will cause any problems underwater, but if anyone can afford to test it out, I'd like to know!
What will work:
- Fabric and wire:
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| Gyarados's headgear is entirely made with fabric, wire, and corset boning. |
I found this was my personal cheapest option with most flexible color & material options. Sewing your accessory is also a lot more secure than most glues- some glues has a high chance of coming apart in water and other glues are extremely toxic. Most spandex/swimwear-friendly fabrics are already colored. You also will not need PPE or special equipment to sew. It will also be lightweight both on land and underwater, will not make you float, and easy to clean. However, this is the most difficult to work with because I needed to manipulate and structure fabric in a way that fabric usually does not hold- I found that craft wire was my best option, but corset boning also works and if you have interfacing or horsehair, that may also work. Figuring out the patterning for such unusual pieces was also difficult as most cosplay or commercial clothing patterns are made to sit on a human body with normal gravity. I also had to keep in mind on how to pattern it so that it doesn't cause drag and so I could remove wires/boning for cleaning. What this is trying to recreate is silicone, rubber, or resin accessory molds, but with fabric instead, so get ready to be creative.
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| Photo by Blizzardterrak |
- Clay: depending on the type, can also be very cheap, can be heavy enough (which is a good thing for water), is usually waterproof, and will hold its shape after curing so if it's designed correctly it won't cause drag. However you will have figure out how to color it and waterproof the color and some clays can be too heavy.
- Liquid latex and wire: fairly easy to use, can be affordable, does not make you
float, and some professional movie prosthetics made for water use
latex. I've been able to dunk my liquid latex prosthetics underwater, however, I have not figured out a layperson way to color it that is waterproof. If you have access to alcohol activated paints
or professional SFX paints, that may work for you. Note that the
usual cotton ball/tissue paper and latex method will not work because
cotton balls/tissue paper are not waterproof.
- Resin:
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| Crown made with resin, featuring antenna made with fabric & wire. |
This is where it starts getting into toxic and PPE required territory and starts getting expensive once you add up all the supplies. Resin is waterproof, durable, does not make you float, and there are many professional waterproof accessories made with resin. I would recommend looking up tutorials on how to use UV or epoxy resin to make waterproof accessories. I personally like & use Totalboat UV resin, in combination with gel polish for coloring, but resin has many different methods of coloring and glitters cured inside resin accessories won't escape.
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| Photo by Steven Ansley |
- Silicone & rubber: I personally have no experience with this, but this is what professional underwater models, performers, stunt actors, mermaids, and more use. If you have the supplies, PPE, space, and skills to work with rubber & silicone, this should get you the most realistic and waterproof accessories! And if you decide to check out the underwater modeling and merfolk communities, you'll find that there are many talented professional crafters who can sell gorgeous silicone, resin, and rubber waterproof accessories. Note that they are expensive because of the amount of experience, work, and danger that goes into making these.
- Electronics:
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| Removable pre-made waterproof lights attached to this dress. |
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| Photo by https://www.instagram.com/kate_ua_photography |
- Wigs: synthetic wigs can technically be put in water however you will have to accept that water will severely tangle the wig. Here are some tutorials on how to keep a wig on underwater. Wig Care Guide How to Wear by Mermaid Zelda How to Wear by The Magic Crafter In addition, these are some things that worked extra well for me- use a tight swim cap instead of a wig cap and LOT of Bobby pins, wearing goggles also helped. A crown/headdress that wraps around AND under the back of your neck will also keep it securely in place. And lastly if you want, you can try spirit gum or another waterproof skin-safe adhesives.
It is completely possible there are more materials that cosplayers can safely use for underwater, but this is what I have experience with so far! Please let me know if you have additional ideas/experience.
What about modifying your preexisting accessories instead of making completely new waterproof stuff?
- Use a fake underwater set up. Who says you actually need to risk the dangers of going into a real body of water to do an underwater shoot? Here are examples:
Raj K Photo Tutorial
Digital Photography School
Hayley Roberts Photo
Douyin Repost
- If you're confident that the structural materials of your accessory or prop is waterproof and it's only the paint job and water durability that you're unsure of, there are specific waterproof paint sealants or industrial strength waterproof car/building paint sealants that you can cover your prop/accessory with to make it waterproof. Do read the instructions carefully because some sealants can damage your prop/accessory.
- Adding weights to props that you are NOT wearing (ie the plastic or eva foam weapons). Only add scuba weights to accessories you're wearing IF youre freediving or scuba certified.
- Changing up your swimming technique or using assistance when posing. If you're confident that your entire cosplay is technically waterproof and safe, but the main problem is floating or hydrodynamics, you can use pool structures (ie ladders, staircases), hold onto a separate weight at the floor of the pool, or use specific swimming techniques to achieve neutral buoyancy or sink. I recommend these videos on how to sink without weights: Link Link Once again, only wear scuba weights if you're freediving or scuba certified.
I would absolutely love to hear more about this if other photographers, models, or cosplayers have suggestions!
Cleaning:
The last thing you'll have to consider about cosplay props you take underwater is how you'll clean and especially dry it. If you go to a pool or natural body of water, you will want to rinse out any chlorine, salt, bacteria, etc as soon as possible and also dry your props as soon as possible. If you use any metal or wires, try to use metals that won't rust (the aluminum wires that are in most craft stores or in the gardening section are what I use.) Unlike most land cosplays, stuff taken underwater and not dried properly can risk growing mold or rust.
The goal of this post was about making your own waterproof accessories affordably. However at the end of the day, if you do have the extra budget and want to splurge on expensive high quality premade or custom commissioned accessories, that is totally valid! I personally believe that cosplay should not break the bank- your bills and your job are more important than some pretty pictures. But because of how niche underwater cosplays are, figuring out how to make these can become a huge time or material waste, as well as possibly dangerous. Sometimes it's just safer or better to buy it from a reputable professional. Please just avoid dokidokicosplay, miccostumes, aliexpress, shein, or other fast-fashion websites for underwater specifically. Unlike land cosplays, you are risking your life and that level of cheap "swimwear" is not worth it.
Lastly, as I am still learning and experimenting with underwater cosplays, please add your knowledge and experience!
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