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Fall 2005 Departments
Exchange
Prerequisite
Extended Family
Foundation News
Alumni Connections
Class Notes
Zip 01003
Books Received
Alumni Photos
Features
Raising His Game
Never Mind the Weather?
If You Can Make it There
Peg Riley Wants a New Drug
A Capitol Guy
What They've Learned
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Class Notes
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Going Deep in China
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—Linda Smith
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SINOSCUBA, BEIJING'S FIRST PROFESSIONAL DIVING operation, was founded in 2003 by Steven Schwankert ’91. A Chinese language major, Steven spent the first 10 years after graduation in the journalism field before taking the plunge into a full-time life of diving.
“Journalism wasn’t challenging anymore,” he explains. “Teaching scuba and pursuing underwater explorations is far more rewarding. I can always go back to journalism if I choose, but five years from now, I wouldn’t be able to start a career in scuba education and exploration.”
Schwankert decided to base his business in Beijing because of his familiarity with the city. “I speak the language fluently thanks to my time at UMass,” he says. “And, despite it being landlocked, Beijing has a large community of outdoorspeople. There’s also very little competition.”
SinoScuba offers dives in places that he describes as once-in-a-lifetime experiences. “We are organizing the first-ever exploratory trip to Lake Khovsgol in north-central Mongolia,” says Schwankert, “and our work mapping the sunken city in Zhejiang province, west of Shanghai, continues this summer.”
Intrepid travelers can find out more online at www.sinoscuba.com. |
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Close Encounters
Close Encounters: larger image
The Lady's Got Jazz
The Lady's Got Jazz: larger image
Murals and Messages
Murals and Messages: more images
The Funnies
The Funnies: larger image
Going Deep in China
Going Deep in China: larger image
A Rare Vintage
A Rare Vintage: larger image
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