Working below the waves

First person | Zhao Jiabin

Editor's note: Zhao Jiabin is director of the department of underwater archaeology of the National Museum of China

I've always loved the ocean. Before I began my career in underwater archaeology, my knowledge of the sea came from the beautiful scenes in National Geographic documentaries: blue water, colorful fish and reefs. I thought it would be nice to work underwater.

But when I first trained as an archaeological diver in 1998, I found myself soaked in cold water in a reservoir. At one point, I was asked to descend 18 meters to the bottom and collect samples of mud. It was pitch-black in the cloudy water, and I realized my work wouldn't be as romantic as I had imagined.

In past 15 years, most of my diving work has been undertaken in turbid seawater with strong currents and limited visibility. We lived on small fishing boats, eating canned food and sleeping on the deck.

China has just three archaeological divers able to descend to 100 meters, and I'm one of them. We want to explore deep wrecks that are beyond the reach of looters.

It's a totally different world 100 meters underwater - no fish, no plants. It's deserted. The water is so dense that it's like swimming in oil. And of course, it's spooky knowing that there's 100 meters of seawater above your head. Any glitch in the gear could be fatal.

During one training session, I lost sight of my friend and was alone in deep water. Beside me, a reef stretched into the black abyss. Even underwater, I could feel the sweat on my brow.

But still, the fieldwork brings me tremendous pleasure, especially as someone who loves the ocean. I have seen the most magnificent night skies and the bluest water during salvage operations in the South China Sea.

When we took a break, we would dive in the shallow waters. I have seen scenes like those in the documentaries many times - and they were as beautiful as I had imagined.

Zhao Jiabin spoke to Peng Yining.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 03/14/2014 page25)