Steven Schwankert explores under the sea
American Steven Schwankert, founder of the scuba diving school SinoScuba at the Beijing Blue Zoo aquarium, began his underwater adventures at age 10 so he could swim alongside fish and sharks. After 12 years in Beijing, he now spends most of his dives exploring historical spots such as submerged sections of the Great Wall, flooded villages from the Ming dynasty and shipwrecks in Mongolia. His endeavors have taken him to the Bahamas, Siberia, the coast of Mexico, Australia and all over China. Schwankert showed his scuba gear to kids at the Australian embassy and shared his experiences under the sea.
Brenton Macks, 13, WAB
Where do you go diving?
Every weekend, I’m at the Blue Zoo. We do training and fun dives there, and you can pet the shark, play with a turtle and give a fish a shower. People like to wash dirt off, but we use rocks to scrub fish clean. When we’re not at the Blue Zoo, we try to dive in lakes in China.
Harry Tinney, 10, WAB
Have you ever found treasure?
I’ve found stuff, but I wouldn’t say I’ve found any treasure.
Grace Flowers, 11, WAB
What do you have to do to become a scuba diver?
Breathe and relax. You can go for a fun dive, and that just takes an afternoon. I’ll teach you how to breathe, and the full course is about three weeks. You have to be at least 8 years old for fun dives; if you’re 10 years old you can take the full course.
Gus Macks, 10, WAB
Have you ever been attacked?
At the Blue Zoo, there are long yellow fish. I was pointing at something and a fish just bit my hand. It didn’t hurt, but I felt the pressure. Then it just spat my fingers out. Usually, divers get hurt because they bump into something, like coral or a sea urchin.
Sid Tinney, 12, WAB
Where did you learn to dive?
I learned to dive in the Bahamas, close to Florida, but I was certified in Pennsylvania.
Grace Flowers, 11, WAB
What’s the most exciting thing that’s ever happened?
I saw a whale shark, which is the biggest fish in the world, near Costa Rica with my father. Whale sharks are very strange looking animals – as soon as I saw it, I knew exactly what it was. Six meters long – a baby whale shark.
Harry Tinney, 10, WAB
How much does scuba gear cost?
The masks and the fins and snorkels aren’t too expensive, but with the tank, buoyancy control device and regulator, it’s probably about USD $1,200. But you can rent equipment.
Brenton Macks, 13, WAB
What’s the best thing you’ve seen while diving in the ocean?
I was in the water with dolphins; they showed up and wanted to play. To us, dolphins are so much fun, and to them, we are so boring. When they look at you and use their sonar, you can actually feel it in your chest.
Sophie Liang, 13, ISB
Have you ever run out of oxygen?
We dive with air like the air in this room because pure oxygen can do bad things to your body six meters below sea level. I’ve come pretty close to running out of air, but I have two of these regulators to breathe out of, so if we’re diving and you run out of air, I can give you one. That’s happened a few times, but always by accident.
Jasper Flowers, 5, WAB
Have you ever been hurt by a stingray?
No. I have touched stingrays – they feel very slippery, like velvet. They are actually quite nice animals; they just have that nasty stinger on them.
Ella Tinney, 7, WAB
How deep have you gone?
Fifty-five meters, which is really deep. We went diving in a cave under a reef; we saw two fish, a barracuda and a shark. It’s a long way down.
Emma Croxford, 10, BSB
What is the most scary thing that has happened to you on a dive?
We were ice diving in Siberia, and the ice above us started to crack. That’s usually not a problem when you’re diving, but we were scared that the cars parked above us would come through the ice.
Celeste Flowers, 8, WAB
What’s the biggest shark you’ve ever seen in the water?
The whale shark, but I’ve also seen great white sharks. I was in Mexico five years ago and we saw white sharks there – very big, large white teeth and very fast. They’re very cool animals and very good at eating.
Sid Tinney, 12, WAB
What’s the thing you like most about diving underwater?
It lets us see a part of the world that we’d otherwise never see. If you don’t even go snorkeling, you’re missing out on so much of the world. I can see shipwrecks, and fish in their natural environment. It’s exploring – going to new places and viewing new things.
Blue Zoo Beijing
Daily 8am-8pm (summer), 8.30am-6.30pm (winter).
RMB 75, RMB 50 (kids under 12 years old), free (under 1 month).
Workers’ Stadium South Gate,
Chaoyang District (6591 3397)
朝阳区工人体育场南
