Truk’in

I got a friendly but concerned note from one of our bunker regulars who wanted to know if I was okay, and why I hadn’t been posting much. Sincere thanks for the concern, S.: all is well. I’ve been quieter than usual because I’ve been busier than usual, for two reasons.

a) It’s fiscal year end for many of our clients, which means every hour brings a new variant of one of the following calls:
- Hi! You know that proposal we put in last October? Well, we forgot to tell you that we got the project, and the work has to be done by March 31st. But we got a one month extension, so could you do that six months of work in two weeks, please?
- Hi! We just got a call from DFAIT, and they’ve got a $100,000 they have to spend before fiscal year end or it lapses, and they wondered whether….
- Hi! Listen, your plate is probably full right now, but the Minister is supposed to talk to the Canadian Association of Manufacturers and Exporters this afternoon, and he doesn’t like his speech, and I was wondering….

b) A little project of my own looks like it’s just come to fruition. As some of you know, in another life I co-produce DVDs on popular dive destinations. We decided last year that our next project was going to be (i) in the Pacific, (ii) slightly more documentary in its approach, and (iii) geared for a broadcast market. The last piece of the puzzle just fell into place, the deal is done, and we will be taking off at the end of May for a week’s shooting in Truk Lagoon.

Truk is a small cluster of islands that served as the forward base for the Japanese Imperial Fleet during the War in the Pacific. On Feb. 17, 1944, the Americans launched a three day attack on the lagoon, and sank 60 ships and 275 airplanes. The wrecks lie in gin-clear, current-free water, some as shallow as fifteen meters below the surface. The decks are littered with armaments, shells, gas masks; inside the wrecks are intact fighter aircraft, tanks, construction gear, more weaponry, and lots of other cool junk. And of course, the coral flourishes, and the area is famous for sharks, turtles and manta rays.

A trip like this takes a fair amount of setting up: five flights, one boat, three overnights in transit, all the dive gear to pack and test, a ton of video and photographic gear, and of course, the treatment for the show. So it’s been busy.

But the tickets are now booked, the passport safely renewed, my Instructor accreditation is current, my gear tested and registered, reg and computer have been serviced, and I’m officially counting the days.

So that’s why I’ve been quiet.
(Image courtesy of diver Don Sutherland).