Scuba school dives in to preserve heritage

New wave of life: Students attending a scuba diving lesson at the So Heng Tai mansion in the Talad Noi neighbourhood of Bangkok. — AFP

A 200-YEAR-OLD Chinese mansion in Bangkok’s heart isn’t an obvious place for a scuba school, but in a city relentlessly demolishing its architectural heritage, the business is helping to preserve the historic home.

Dive instructor Poosak Posayachinda’s family has owned the traditional teak-walled So Heng Tai for eight generations, but it lives on thanks largely to his decision to convert it into a scuba academy.