Yes, ‘Professional Mermaid’ Is A Real Job And The Pay Will Shock You
Forget the corporate ladder — some women have traded their ergonomic chairs and fluorescent lighting for a monofin and an underwater spotlight, and they’re making serious bank doing it. Professional mermaids can earn anywhere from $200 to $1,000 per hour performing at aquariums, private parties, luxury resorts, and even film sets. Before you fire off that resignation email though, know that holding your breath for three minutes straight while smiling at a six-year-old’s birthday party takes about two years of serious training to pull off gracefully.
The Women Who Started This Wild Trend All Have One Thing In Common
Surprisingly, the majority of women who’ve made the leap from desk jobs to diving careers were former competitive swimmers, synchronized swimmers, or dancers who felt suffocated by the nine-to-five grind — pun absolutely intended. What pushed them over the edge? A combination of a viral YouTube video in 2012 and a single aquarium in Las Vegas that started paying a woman $500 a shift to swim around in a tail in front of tourists. The rest, as they say, is history that HR departments are still trying to process.
