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The Diver Who Fell from the Sky: The Story of Pacific Pioneer Francis Toribiong
When his country most needed it, Palauan Francis Toribiong came along and guided the Pacific Island nation to find its place in the world and become an independent, forward-looking 20th century state. And he achieved this, improbably, via the sport of scuba diving.
This is the inspiring tale of an absolutely unique life, illustrated with images (colour in this e-book / black & white in the standard paperback) of the beautiful islands of Palau, above and below the water.
Maverick, innovator, entrepreneur, environmentalist and sheer force of nature, Francis Toribiong is the father of Palau tourism, a scuba diving pioneer, and an effective, tireless ambassador for both his country and its abundant marine and land resources.
He was born poor, had no academic leanings and no talent for diplomacy. Yet he was driven to succeed by a combination of duty, faith, a deep-seated determination to do the right thing and an absolute refusal ever to compromise his values.
For his whole life, he has been a devoted friend to strangers and an implacable opponent to anybody who, through malevolence or negligence, threatens Palau’s considerable natural treasures. He has also been the perfect host to generations of scuba divers from all over the world, who have visited Palau to see those treasures for themselves.
And, as well as all that, he was Palau’s first ever parachutist – known by islanders as "the Palauan who fell from the sky".
In giving him this title, people were speaking both literally and figuratively. Francis Toribiong was so completely different from all of his contemporaries in terms of his demeanor, his ambitions and his vision, that it was as if he had come from outer space. Palau had never seen anybody quite like him and there was no historical precedent for what he did. He had no operations manual to consult and no examples to follow.
He wrote his own life.
Francis Toribiong was the first Palauan ever to seek and seize the international narrative. No Palauan, in any context or field, had previously thought to go out into the world and
“This is Palau – what we have is wonderful. Come and see!”
It is a quite wonderful life story.
This is the inspiring tale of an absolutely unique life, illustrated with images (colour in this e-book / black & white in the standard paperback) of the beautiful islands of Palau, above and below the water.
Maverick, innovator, entrepreneur, environmentalist and sheer force of nature, Francis Toribiong is the father of Palau tourism, a scuba diving pioneer, and an effective, tireless ambassador for both his country and its abundant marine and land resources.
He was born poor, had no academic leanings and no talent for diplomacy. Yet he was driven to succeed by a combination of duty, faith, a deep-seated determination to do the right thing and an absolute refusal ever to compromise his values.
For his whole life, he has been a devoted friend to strangers and an implacable opponent to anybody who, through malevolence or negligence, threatens Palau’s considerable natural treasures. He has also been the perfect host to generations of scuba divers from all over the world, who have visited Palau to see those treasures for themselves.
And, as well as all that, he was Palau’s first ever parachutist – known by islanders as "the Palauan who fell from the sky".
In giving him this title, people were speaking both literally and figuratively. Francis Toribiong was so completely different from all of his contemporaries in terms of his demeanor, his ambitions and his vision, that it was as if he had come from outer space. Palau had never seen anybody quite like him and there was no historical precedent for what he did. He had no operations manual to consult and no examples to follow.
He wrote his own life.
Francis Toribiong was the first Palauan ever to seek and seize the international narrative. No Palauan, in any context or field, had previously thought to go out into the world and
“This is Palau – what we have is wonderful. Come and see!”
It is a quite wonderful life story.
314 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 24, 2020
About the author
Simon Pridmore
36 books10 followersSimon Pridmore writes scuba diving books, travel guides and biographies. Originally from the UK, he has lived in the Asia - Pacific region for almost 40 years and has spent a considerable portion of that time on the move, both overland and underwater.
As well as his books, Simon has written hundreds of magazine articles on diver training and travel. He also speaks at dive and travel conferences all over the world.
Writing as S J Pridmore, Simon has also written an acclaimed novel, May the People Know I'm Here?
He and his wife Sofie currently live in Taiwan but spend a lot of time exploring other places trying (but failing so far) to find a cure for their itchy feet.
As well as his books, Simon has written hundreds of magazine articles on diver training and travel. He also speaks at dive and travel conferences all over the world.
Writing as S J Pridmore, Simon has also written an acclaimed novel, May the People Know I'm Here?
He and his wife Sofie currently live in Taiwan but spend a lot of time exploring other places trying (but failing so far) to find a cure for their itchy feet.
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