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50th Anniversary Speech from Dianne Strong PhD - 13 Nov 2023

   Before I begin, how many of you are divers from the Resort? And how many of you have dived here before? Thank you for coming to Truk Lagoon.

Tonight is a very special night. Fifty years ago, for Poppa’s opening of his dive shop, he invited all divers to celebrate. The tradition is now 50 years old.

Kimiou Aisek founded Blue Lagoon Dive Shop on 13 November, 1973. He put Truk Lagoon at the top of the list for wreck divers.

In 1998 when his son, Gradvin Aisek bought the Truk Continental Hotel from Continental Airlines, he continued this generous tradition of providing free diving and meals for the day for his diver guests.

   So here we are 50 years later. Tonight we honor the shop’s founder, Kimiuo Aisek. It took five years persuading a man with three years of Japanese education to accomplish this feat. Tonight, fifty years later, Blue Lagoon Dive Shop remains the first dive shop in Micronesia, the first dive shop family owned and operated without ex-patriots, the first dive shop to own a hotel! And lastly, the most famous destination for wreck diving in the world.

For 50 years, Blue Lagoon Dive Shop history has included dive stickers from all around the world. Each sticker placed by the divers themselves.

   Now, how did Kimiuo accomplish this?

While not educated as a businessman, he had the foresight to invest his earnings in the business. In June 1973, Kimiuo did not accept our payments, but asked to buy our equipment to succeed. 

   This brings us to a custom in our islands. The custom is to share the catch, but don’t go home with empty pockets. To develop his indigenous dive shop, Kimiuo invested in his staff: boat drivers, and dive guides. Look at the sign to my left. It lists every Trukese man ever employed by Blue Lagoon. If the first word before the name is “Mawe" it means he is deceased. Expatriots trained and certified his “boys,” even for Trimix blending.

   When his son, Gradvin Aisek was certified in 1983, Dr. Bob Rogers was his NAUI instructor. Rogers discovered two challenges. When he planned to teach buddy breathing and met his students on the bottom at 20 feet, his students took off like rockets gathering every clam they could see. Since they had not yet learned how to use their buoyancy compensators, they “bicycled” their way to the surface, their arms embracing multiple clams.

Another class session the students jumped in him ahead of him. He quickly learned “First one in gets the octopus.”

   So that is the history of Blue Lagoon Dive Shop. For more history, you can read his biography, “Witness to War,” which I wrote for the 40th anniversary. Kinisou chapur for joining our tribute to Kimiou, his family, and staff for 50 years of excellence! Be sure to visit the Kimiuo Aisek Memorial Museum next to Blue Lagoon Dive Shop. Enjoy yourselves and the food line starts there. (Speaker bows as is the Chuukese custom since the Japanese days.)

On 14 November, Kimiou's last wife, Missy Middleton, and the speaker visited his grave on Tonoas.

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- Author Dianne Strong PhD Nov 13, 2023