Searching for Ghosts in the South Pacific by Daniel J. Basta

An engaging memoir of exploration and connection in the Pacific theater in the aftermath of World War 2

The attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 led to the South Pacific becoming one of the main theaters of World War 2. It hosted at least two of the largest naval battles in history and the results of the fighting can still be seen on and around the islands of the South Pacific today. 

Daniel Basta, a diver and retired Director of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has explored many of these remnants, and in Searching for Ghosts in the South Pacific,he recounts his experiences there between 1991 and 1999. During this time, he traveled extensively through the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines; dove into dozens of shipwrecks; had wholesome as well as bizarre interactions with the locals; and even made an important environmental discovery.

Basta and his companions prided themselves over never getting “the bends” or having other dive-related emergencies, which seems remarkable considering the extent, both numerical and physical, of their dives. They ventured inside ships 100 feet long and, in some cases, over 200 feet underwater. On these ships they came across the notorious Japanese “Long Lance” Torpedoes, thousands of full Saki bottles, and even human remains.

In the Solomon Islands, Basta and his team learned the location of the sunken USS Aaron Ward and shot video of it, providing the U.S. Navy with its first view of the ship since its sinking in 1943. In the Philippines, Basta surmised that the practice of cyanide fishing was killing the local coral reefs, sending another valuable brief back to the U.S. 

But this is also very much a traditional travel book, with many of the fun and colorful things that genre connotes. Our travelers witness the betel-nut craze in Papua New Guinea, enjoy the local women’s excited reactions to their antics, and fall victims to bugs and dysentery. Refrains like “Welcome to the sunny South Pacific” are always served with irony and exasperation. 

One of the standout moments of the book comes when the crew meets an old man, speaking no English, who fought alongside the Americans against the Japanese. One of the guys—a former marine—decides to award him with his own Marine Corps Medal. The next day, a small group of warriors in local costume comes to dance in their honor led by their High Chief, the now decorated old man.

The writing is often pensive and lyrical, but it never drops a certain squareness, perhaps acquired from so many years of dealing with official documents. The crew’s little boat meeting with a whale, for example, could have offered some indulgent pleasure for both reader and writer, instead of only receiving a passing mention. It is a quality that fits the book, however, which deals with matters mostly military and always male. 

“It hadn’t been enough to reminisce about our experiences, no matter how much we exaggerated them. We had to go out again.”

And go out again they did. It is genuinely enjoyable to read about people who love what they do so much, and the enjoyment is compounded by the eerie setting provided by the remnants of the greatest war in history, as well as the exotic location. Always informative and never boring, this book is full of personality and an altogether good read for anyone interested in the aftermath of World War 2 in the Pacific.