Palauan pioneer to be inducted into Scuba Diving Hall of Fame part 1

It’s official. Francis Toribiong, a native of Palau, Micronesia, will be inducted into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame in January 2010.

To date, there are only 54 individuals in the world that have been so honored, including such obvious inductees as Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his son Jean-Michel Cousteau as well actor Lloyd Bridges and Geri Murphy, one of the most published female underwater photojournalist in the world.

Francis was a true pioneer in the industry, developing Palau into the coveted diving destination it is today.

Here’s a time-line of his claim to fame:

• Growing up in Palau, right after World War II, Francis met the first divers that came to do salvage work. As a teenager in the early 1960s, he helped Ronald Sakuma salvage metals both above and underwater. During that time, pioneer divers also came to Palau to make their own discoveries, including Jacques-Yves Cousteau. These encounters left such a great impact on Francis that he was determined to become a professional diver.
• From 1968 to 1975, Francis attended Long Beach State University where he studied anthropology. During that time, he got a much-needed job as a lifeguard in Laguna Beach, a 50 mile commute on his bicycle. It was then that Francis met Dean Westgaard, who introduced him to a variety of extreme sports, including mountain climbing, sky diving, white water rafting and SCUBA diving, leading Francis to get his scuba license.
• Shortly after, in 1972 Dean came to Palau to inspect the reefs and evaluate the destination’s business potential. In 1974, Dean helped qualify Francis to become a dive instructor. During Dean’s visits to Palau, he and Francis taught and licensed two other pioneer divers, namely Johnny Kishigawa and Surangel Whipps.
• Returning to Palau following his college education, Francis worked for VANCAMP fishing company and a copra/oil export company. But in 1976, Francis returned to the ocean where he began collecting tropical fish for export.
• During that same period, Francis started to provide diving services to visitors who were curious about exploring Palau’s underwater resources and shortly thereafter he founded Fish 'n Fins dive shop.
• During the 1980s and 1990s, Francis built the dive industry of Palau into what it is today. He and his wife Susan traveled the world to attend dive shows and conferences, promoting Palau as a world-class scuba diving destination.
• From 1980 to 1992, Francis and his friend Klaus Lindeman were on a self-appointed mission to recover and document the remains of a WWII Japanese fleet, which sunk in Palau during operation Desecrate 1.

For more information on Dean and information on Palau, see Part 2.

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