Mermaid diving takes off in China

Wearing a snorkel mask, bikini, and a purple mermaid tail, 32-year-old Zhu Yali, an employee of a wine company in Changsha, central China’s Hunan province, learns how to dive like a mermaid using techniques such as the dolphin kick, under the guidance of her coach in a swimming pool.

Xie Yalan practices mermaid diving. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

“Swimming like a mermaid looks so graceful. And I believe every woman has a fairy-tale dream of becoming a mermaid,” Zhu said, explaining why she wanted to learn mermaid diving, which is essentially freediving but with a large and sometimes heavy artificial tail that requires a different kind of human movement.

Zhu is one of the many Chinese people who have started learning mermaid diving. The sport has become a big trend in China in recent years, with training centers popping up and creating more job opportunities across the country.

Mermaid diving has grown exponentially in China since 2017. Today, the sport is becoming one of the hottest trends in the country, said Li Dada, the first Chinese woman to hold a Master Freediving training certification from PADI, the world's largest diving association. She also established the first professional underwater mermaid performance team in China.

Xie Yalan makes a heart gesture underwater wearing a mermaid tail. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

The market for performance mermaid diving is growing, resulting in the number of diving licenses being issued growing by 40 percent in China in 2018, Li said, adding that Chinese women account for the largest percentage of all divers in the world.

At the same time, more training organizations that provide mermaid courses have emerged in China. A training center called Qianyuhaiyang has opened over 200 branches across the country, with over 2,000 students enrolled by May 2021.

Xie Yalan, one of the first partners of the center, explained that the sport has also led to the development of relevant fields such as tail equipment and mermaid photography.

Young women holding a mermaid tail pose for a group photo. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

The popularity of mermaid diving has also created new professions such as mermaid performers and instructors.

Xie Yao is a 27-year-old mermaid performer at the Changsha Sea World in Changsha. She explained that during the peak tourism season, a performer has eight shows every day and needs to stay underwater for over 10 minutes for each show. And more people are opting for the new profession.

According to Corinna Davids, head of development of the mermaid courses offered by Scuba Schools International, the association has more than 1,000 mermaid instructors all over China. 

Photo shows mermaid divers. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)