Mermaid diving championships kick off in Sanya

More than 60 professional mermaid divers from many countries and regions - including China, the United States and Germany - have arrived in Sanya for the 2023 China Mermaid Open Championship Atlantis Station and International Mermaid Contest, marking the first attempt to hold a professional mermaid championship globally.

The two-day championship kicked off on Tuesday in Sanya, Hainan province.

Professional mermaid divers, including winners from previous China Mermaid Open championships, will compete across a series of preliminary and elimination rounds. Both the preliminary and elimination rounds will consist of two pre-specified dives and skills that must be displayed in succession. They are the duck dive, freestyle swimming, backstroke, back dive, side stroke swimming and 360-degree spins. During the third dive and the finals, contestants are free to perform their own routines.