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Wellington Underwater Club
Descriptive Data
TypeAgencyParallel NameWUCOther NamesWellington Underwater Club IncorporatedDate Range1951-DescriptionThe Wellington Underwater Club (WUC) was founded in 1951 and incorporated on the 17 October 1955. The Club also believed that it is the oldest dive club in New Zealand. The original club members used largely homemade equipment and were made up of 20 or more people actively diving around the Wellington coast.
Club members had a broad range of skills and experience, taking advantage of the accessible shore diving in Wellington, and organising trips to dive destinations around New Zealand. The Club was involved in recreational and technical dive activities as well as exploration projects and marine conservation. The Club was highly networked in the local marine and conservation community and engages with other clubs and organisations in and beyond the Wellington region.
Changes to the constitution in 2024 note that the club is now primarily focused on diving in its various guises and not the broader "underwater swimming" with the new outlined purposes of the club being:
- benefiting the community by supporting the underwater exploration, promotion, and protection of the undersea environment of Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington, and the surrounding region.
- to promote all aspects of the amateur sport of diving, and its attendant activities throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.
- to promote and participate in the protection of, and scientific study of, the marine environment, marine life, marine fish and animals, and their habitats.Internal StructuresPresidents between 1958 and 1987:
1958: Stuart Thomas
1959: Joe Tomlin
1960-1962: Owen Brimble
1963: Malcolm Blair
1964: Geoff Henry
1965: Geoff Henry / Deni Cameron
1966: Tery Dykes
1967: Geoff Henry
1968: Dave Wilson
1969-1971: Mike Smith
1972-1973: Roger Ironside
1974: Mike Smith
1975: Catherine Ironside
1976: Max Hetherington
1977: Bruce Grimwood
1978: Dave Mundell
1979: Gordon Fox
1980: Steven Crabtree / Bruce Grimwood
1981: Bruce Grimwood
1982: Liz Hermans
1983: Liz Cranney
1984: Bryce Dunn
1985: Bruce Grimwood
1986-1987: Max HetheringtonExternal LinksWellington Underwater Club
Club members had a broad range of skills and experience, taking advantage of the accessible shore diving in Wellington, and organising trips to dive destinations around New Zealand. The Club was involved in recreational and technical dive activities as well as exploration projects and marine conservation. The Club was highly networked in the local marine and conservation community and engages with other clubs and organisations in and beyond the Wellington region.
Changes to the constitution in 2024 note that the club is now primarily focused on diving in its various guises and not the broader "underwater swimming" with the new outlined purposes of the club being:
- benefiting the community by supporting the underwater exploration, promotion, and protection of the undersea environment of Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington, and the surrounding region.
- to promote all aspects of the amateur sport of diving, and its attendant activities throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.
- to promote and participate in the protection of, and scientific study of, the marine environment, marine life, marine fish and animals, and their habitats.Internal StructuresPresidents between 1958 and 1987:
1958: Stuart Thomas
1959: Joe Tomlin
1960-1962: Owen Brimble
1963: Malcolm Blair
1964: Geoff Henry
1965: Geoff Henry / Deni Cameron
1966: Tery Dykes
1967: Geoff Henry
1968: Dave Wilson
1969-1971: Mike Smith
1972-1973: Roger Ironside
1974: Mike Smith
1975: Catherine Ironside
1976: Max Hetherington
1977: Bruce Grimwood
1978: Dave Mundell
1979: Gordon Fox
1980: Steven Crabtree / Bruce Grimwood
1981: Bruce Grimwood
1982: Liz Hermans
1983: Liz Cranney
1984: Bryce Dunn
1985: Bruce Grimwood
1986-1987: Max HetheringtonExternal LinksWellington Underwater Club
Wellington Underwater Club. Archives Online, accessed 17/01/2026, https://archivesonline.wcc.govt.nz/nodes/view/939145