WUC - History

The Wellington Underwater Club (WUC), officially established in 1951, is thought to be the oldest dive club in New Zealand. An extract from the 25th Jubilee celebrations held in August 1976 reveals:

It all began when a hardy pioneer noticed he wasn't the only diver on the beach. Each, from thinking he was the only one, suddenly realised that there were 20 or more people actively diving around the Wellington coast. These divers used largely home-made equipment and seldom had to venture further afield that the road's end or the tram terminal to get full and easy catches of crays, moki, butterfish and paua.

By the summer of 1950/51 they were meeting for informal group dives often enough that a club seemed logical. Once the idea was mooted and word got around, the level of interest was surprising. Apart from local pioneers, there were people who had dived in the islands during the war or while serving at met. stations, and who wondered what diving was like at home. Deerstalkers and other huntsmen fancied the idea of similar sport without the hassle of tramping miles into the mountains. Surfers and swimmers also fancied a take-home profit from their aquatic activities. So the Club was born - the first, we like to think, in New Zealand.