For almost all, the concept of being a siren evokes photos of fantasy and wonderful swimmers who slide via water, dazzling audiences with vivid queues and choreographed routines.
However for a rising variety of ladies recruited to work as skilled sirens in China and South Korea, actuality is way from being pretty.
As a substitute, they declare that they’re being subjected to exhausting circumstances and near slaves, pressured to operate for hours in harmful environments and denied medical care, all for a mission in cost.
Based on the TV channel on Telegram, swimmers have been topic to diving as much as 70 instances a day, even with accidents which are prohibited from treating within the hospital.
Rather less than two months in the past, an actual life siren suffered horrible accidents in an unprecedented assault launched by an enormous fish whereas performing in entrance of households and younger youngsters.
Having a sturgeon within the head, he stayed with facial wounds, however the merciless bosses allegedly made it return on to the water earlier than recovering utterly.
Final yr’s figures confirmed a worrying improve within the variety of women and men who enrolled to be legendary divers with the primary worldwide skilled siren competitors on the planet held final yr in Shanghai.
However because the courageous artists now appear to be shedding mild on the true circumstances of their work, just one query stays: what number of others are nonetheless trapped beneath the floor?
A Russian mermaid was injured in January after an enormous fish minimize off the massive jaws round his face as he acted in a tank
New photos that emerged in Russian Information Telegram Channel Shot noticed the underwater artists swimming in entrance of the spectators
Based on the TV channel on Telegram, swimmers have been topic to diving as much as 70 instances a day, even with accidents which are prohibited from treating within the hospital
Handled as machines
Maria, a Dash swimmer from Russia, arrived in South Korea in 2024 after signing what appeared like a good contract to operate as a siren artist in an aquarium.
They promised a structured schedule: 5 reveals a day, in the future offs per week and a wage of 1.eight million Koreans received (roughly £ 1,100).
However shortly after beginning the work, it was clear that these guarantees made no sense.
“Nobody was involved in regards to the contract,” María informed the Telegram Sott information channel.
‘We needed to dive 70 instances a day. It was exhausting. He continuously had complications and the accidents have been widespread. However no one listened to our complaints.
The brutal schedule was not the one concern.
The sirens have been pressured to share their tanks with sea creatures whose secretions, they mentioned, they have been poisonous and brought on pores and skin reactions and respiratory issues.
Then, issues took a terrifying flip when Maria was urgently transferred to the hospital after struggling an damage throughout an efficiency.
However earlier than it might get better, it was dragged on to the present schedule.
It was an excessive amount of to endure.
In a determined wager for freedom of comparable circumstances, 5 sirens escaped, fleeing a South Korean aquarium in 2024.
The pictures of wounds suffered by the divers have emerged in Russian social networks, since some declare that they’ve been victims of slavery in China
The mermaids have offered to affirm that their employers hope they overcome ache and exhaustion, even when they’re injured.
A picture within the publication confirmed that a person admired the medical staff.
A nightmare in China
For sirens who work in China, the circumstances are equally critical.
The demand of artists is so excessive that there are by no means sufficient staff to cowl the shifts.
Which means that the illness license is solely not an possibility, no matter how sick or injured an artist might be, in line with the taking pictures report.
And the hazards transcend exhaustion and poisonous waters. Within the Chinese language province of Yunnan, an enormous sturgeon attacked a Russian siren in mid -performance on January 28, 2025.
The large fish was held to the lady’s face in entrance of a bunch of terrified youngsters within the Xishuangbanna Primitive Forest Park, in China.
The ‘mermaid’, recognized solely because the 22 -year -old Russian performer Masha, was seen in photos sliding via water in an aquarium tank whereas utilizing a prime and mountain bikini.
Masha greeted the households who had introduced their youngsters to see their efficiency underwater, however when it slowly reached the floor, the large creature appeared above it.
Then he clenched his jaws round his face, which brought on folks on the viewers screaming as horror whereas watching the take a look at have been developed earlier than their eyes.
The 22 -year -old diver was seen in an aquarium tank that slipped via the water whereas utilizing a bikini and tail earlier than being attacked.
Milaculously, the ‘siren’ managed to flee from the highly effective sturgeon chew and rapidly rose to the floor whereas the spectators contained their breath.
The large underwater beast ate the glasses and clips of Masha’s nostril, leaving his head, neck and eye injured, the native reviews mentioned.
The photographs of the aquatic artist after the catastrophe confirmed it with deep pink scratches and deep purple bruises in his left eyelid.
Whereas sturgeons haven’t any enamel, the highly effective fish left the lady with abrasions, which brought on fears that staff are being positioned in conditions that threaten life for the sake of leisure.
The reviews within the Russian media at the moment mentioned that the lady was pressured to return to the aquarium regardless of being agony to her neck wound.
He was supplied about £ 78 in ‘ethical damages’ after the assault, however he was prevented from speaking about it whereas his bosses within the Xishuangbanna primitive park tried to ‘cowl up’ the incident.
The ‘siren’, recognized solely because the 22 -year -old Russian artist, Masha, wounded her head, neck and eye, in line with reviews
Caught in an aqueous jail
What was destined to be a dreamed work for a lot of of those ladies has change into a vigil nightmare.
They are saying they’re handled as machines, that are anticipated to push ache and exhaustion, all whereas working in soiled and insecure circumstances.
With out official protections, with out a medical license, and there’s no strategy to escape as soon as inside the system, the so -called sirens endure in silence.
For some, the one manner is operating.
In statements to sluggish.ru in July 2023, Daria, 26, mentioned: ‘If an individual desires to change into a siren, he should perceive that that is at first a job.
‘Sooner or later, it would positively not be nice to swim 4 instances a day on account of fatigue, temperature adjustments, stress.
“The pleasure of swimming can disappear, the fairy story can dissolve and change into a routine.”
Daria revealed that her good friend Alina needed to prepare in a monofin for 2 years earlier than receiving her first contract, since she has change into accustomed.
However bodily challenges don’t cease right here for these ladies.
The sirens carry out submarine tips and complicated actions for his or her massive public
For a lot of sirens, the one strategy to get out of the occupation is to flee, since they aren’t free to surrender in their very own phrases
Smiling and greeting their viewers, some staff have claimed that there are excessive requirements for his or her look whereas they’re within the tank
Within the trade, there’s a nice method to look and girls should adhere to strict magnificence requirements.
“Each in Korea and China, the looks is essential for a siren, so the choice relies on pictures and movies,” Daria defined.
Regardless of the apparently laborious and strict requirements, sport continues to be fashionable in China.
Final yr, an underwater visible social gathering was offered for nearly 100 athletes from China and overseas at Ocean Park in Shanghai Haicang within the new Pudong space.
The athletes competed within the siren and siren siren competitors of China 2024 and attracted divers from international locations similar to China, South Korea and Kazakhstan.
Two athletes from the province of Guangdong in southern China have been topped as female and male champions after a fierce competitors.