Fish out of water

Hello. I've been curious about this for a while and wondered how long Ariel and the other merfolk could stay out of the sea? They are half human and the movie shows Ariel on the beach or on a rock for what seems to be a while. She didn't show signs of breathlessness either. Perhaps Ariel, who's curiosity has led her to crawl on land for long periods, had developed a stronger set of lungs/gills than her family. I'm also thinking of the TV series as an example. What do you guys think?

Hello. I've been curious about this for a while and wondered how long Ariel and the other merfolk could stay out of the sea? They are half human and the movie shows Ariel on the beach or on a rock for what seems to be a while. She didn't show signs of breathlessness either. Perhaps Ariel, who's curiosity has led her to crawl on land for long periods, had developed a stronger set of lungs/gills than her family. I'm also thinking of the TV series as an example. What do you guys think?

They're able to go on land and sea equally. It's the sea that humans can't go into.

Ahh, now that makes sense. I've always wanted to see an animation or comic of Ariel disguising herself as a human and spending the day on land. If she doesn't need to inhale sea water to breathe, where would she go on her adventure? How would she move about with her tail? If only I could see this happen...