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Lindemann Homepage | Chuuk Lagoon | Expedition Corner
SPECIAL TO THE PACIFIC DAILY NEWS
Contact: Dianne Strong,
strong@kuentos.guam.net
Date: October 17, 2001
Klaus Lindemann, concerned environmentalist, who kicked off the campaign of "Minimum Impact Diving", and whose name is synonymous with locating and protecting the wrecks of Truk Lagoon, died of brain cancer Oct. 17 in Michigan.
Born in Hamburg, Germany, Klaus started to dive in the U.S. and became a devoted dive educator. Wishing to get the best from all worlds, he embarked on an instructor program and was certified as a PADI (#1785), YMCA and NAUI (#2572) scuba instructor. He staffed instructor certification courses in three countries overseas and in Canada. He taught underwater photography and environmental scuba courses. Later he became a Technical Diver and Extended Range Diver. His wife, Mary, is also a scuba instructor.
A pioneering wreck diver, Klaus was instrumental in finding, identifying, describing, and thus opening for our diving pleasure, many wrecks of both Truk and Palau. Klaus has dived extensively in the Caribbean, the Pacific, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, the Great Lakes and various other puddles, quarries, rivers and lakes.
Truk Lagoon, in the state of Chuuk, first came to divers' attention in the mid 1970's. Like many divers the world over, Klaus wanted to go there and check out tropical wreck diving. He recalls his first visit. "A wreck is like an abandoned house. You can imagine how the people were living, and you feel a little like an archeologist. And then you get your mental magnifying glass out and start to wonder what happened here, why did this ship sink? It goes from one challenge to another."
When talking to pioneering Dive Master Kimiuo Aisek one day, he realized that Kimiuo was like a library, a treasure house of information. They agreed to record the story telling sessions and, on Klaus' suggestion, to go wreck hunting. There were almost 20 more ships whose locations were not yet known. They were all found, with the notable exception of the two destroyers.
"Crisscrossing the lagoon for hours was extreme boredom," Klaus recalls. "Your back got wrenched out of alignment from bouncing around in the little wooden boat in the choppy waves in the blistering sun or pouring tropical rain. But when the primitive depth finder I was using then showed even a fleeting echo, excitement was instantaneous."
"Those wrecks didn't have name tags, we hadn't heard of GPS, and side scan sonar was totally out of reach. Nor had I yet unearthed the attack photos from which we could have easily deduced the basic location of the wrecks. We certainly did it the hard way. But there was nothing more thrilling than descending on a new found wreck."
Weeks were spent on research in the U.S. Navy Operational Archives. Also, communication reached around the globe for details and specific information. Klaus received tremendous cooperation from Japan. Since 1978, Klaus has been to Truk practically every year. He spent four years writing Hailstorm over Truk Lagoon. The book was updated once the first edition (1982) went out of print: "I hope we will be able to publish a third edition in due time. The wrecks and the divers deserve it."
He dove in Rabaul and Palau, and published a twin book to Hailstorm, about Palau, named after the code name of that Operation: DESECRATE 1. Also many wrecks were found and documented.
Klaus has authored many newspaper and magazine articles related to diving and wrecks, appeared in TV shows and is featured in several videos about Truk. "The wrecks change. Some of them are taken over by nature and have 'morphed' into a coral reef with the most gorgeous and colorful marine life. Other wrecks deteriorate, some now with frightening acceleration. There is always something new. The fact that on every single dive I am able to discover something I have not seen before continues to make the dives exciting. It is as enjoyable as it was twenty years ago. And I adhere strictly to the rule, that everything I discover will be shown to the dive guide, so they have a leg up in showing the diving tourists the newest places and artifacts opened up for viewing.
Klaus single handedly started an environmental campaign to preserve the wrecks and marine environment in Truk: Minimum Impact Diving. He coined the mission statement: "Dive always so considerate to your environment that the following diver does not notice you have been there before." The MID campaign symbol is his pet sea urchin, which appears to say, "Look, don't touch!"
Klaus developed, designed and manufactured a series of products with the motto, "For a diver from a diver," developed a highly popular "Hailstorm The Dive Guide, Hailstorm: The Underwater Slates, and a video, "Truk’ Hailstorm." All are companion products to his book, Hailstorm over Truk Lagoon, which will be published in a larger format, full color and updated to July 2001 in its third edition.
Hailstorm for years has been referred to as "the Truk Wreck Diver's Bible," due to its scope and definitive detail. Its excellence was recognized by being named an official sourcebook for U.S. Navy history. Laughingly, he quotes Lindemann’s Third Law: "Enjoyment of a wreck dive increases directly proportional to the time spent and thoroughness of preparing the dive." Klaus created his products for a fuller appreciation and enjoyment by the diving tourist because when he first went to Truk, nothing like that was available.
Klaus has worked as a marketing executive for one of the leading international chemical companies. He has represented his company for 30 years overseas, mainly in Southeast Asia, with further assignments in England, the U.S., Germany, Singapore and Indonesia. He traveled extensively on business and in private. Klaus, his wife and three children, settled in Ann Arbor, MI. The last several years were devoted to kick start development and use of alternative fuel vehicles in Europe by one of the big three auto manufacturers in Detroit.
Klaus' family can be reached at:
c/o Klaus Lindemann
3260 Monument
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
Email:
Claouz@aol.com
Kpl1311@aol.com
Hailstormx@aol.com
-------------- Original Email -----------------
From: Kpl1311@aol.com
Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 11:53:43 EDT
To: strong@kuentos.guam.net
Subject: KLAUS
DEAR DIANNE,
KLAUS' SHIP SAILED OUT OF SIGHT THIS MORNING. HE
SPENT THE LAST WEEK IN A VERY NICE HOSPICE HERE IN
ANN ARBOR. MARY
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