Diving Truk Lagoon

On my most recent trip to Chuuk I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do some diving in the lagoon. During WW II the Chuuk Lagoon (known then as the Truk Lagoon) served as the “forward anchorage” for the Imperial Japanese Navy. After capturing the Marshall Islands, the American forces launched Operation Hailstone on Feb 17, 1944. Over a three day period over 60 Japanese ships, including aircraft carriers and destroyers, were sunk.

Over the course of a weekend, I did four dives exploring wrecks that were in the shallower (less than 110 ft) water. On Saturday we entered a torpedo hole to explore the inside of one destroyed destroyer and in another ship we saw the remains of a truck chassis, glass jars, bullets, and a machine gun. In a freighter we explored on Sunday, the cargo hold was still filled with torpedoes and warheads.

The lagoon is a one-of-a-kind diving destination and there is a constant trickle of wreck dive enthusiasts and WWII history buffs who make their way there to dive. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your viewpoint, Chuuk has not managed to develop itself as a major dive vacation destination. The lack of other divers makes for a pleasant experience. On each dive we had the ship to ourselves and enjoyed that wonderful sense of isolation. On the other hand, the lagoon could easily serve as the anchor for a tourism industry and provide the jobs and economic independence that the island needs.

On language and Culture

While reading a book about language last night, I recalled learning in a sociology class that Eskimoes had several different words for snow - each describing a specific condition. This fact was told to us to introduce the concept of linguistic relativism. This lead me to then wonder how many synonyms Micronesians have for the word quickly.

Micronesians are not known for their sense of urgency. “Island time” is the common term used. It is a frustration shared by many ex-pats tasked with the challenge of professionalizing the workforce and aiding in the country’s development.

In English I might use the words speedily, hurriedly, quickly, urgently, rapidly, swiftly, or hastily. I might even borrow foreign words and phrases that have become part of our language such as pronto or post haste. I might even use the acronym ASAP.

I asked a Pohnpein how many words they have for 'quickly'. She could only think of one but she did add that their language structure allows for descriptive to be added to the beginning or ending of a word but I’m not sure if she just meant that they could say quick, quicker, and quickest.

Kosrae is another island/language in the FSM. It is smaller than Pohnpei and has a longer history of interaction with traders and missionaries. A Kosraen I asked knew of three words for quickly in her language.