The Nelson Underwater Swimming Club was founded in 1959 by five pioneering divers who recognised the need for a club when they were required to search for a child who drowned in a local river for the police who didn’t have the resources or experience in these early days. These amazing pioneers were Eric King, Ross McDonald, Colin Wilkin, Ollie Wechern, Ron King and Dan Castle.

The Club became the seventh club affiliated to the New Zealand Underwater Association in 1960 and had its own team of NZUA Instructors teaching CMAS courses to the public who were fascinated with this brave new world. Club membership boomed with all diving being taught at the club. The Club members had plenty of adventures, including sunken wrecks, caves to explore and the crystal clear waters of Waikoropupu Springs. Seafood was aplenty as well as new challenges and places to discover and explore throughout the country and internationally.

Through the hard work of the members in the late sixties and early seventies running cabarets, raffles, cutting scrub, picking onions, painting roofs and other working bees, enough money was raised to build the clubrooms in Hastings Street in 1972. Finally the club had a proper home where it could hold its regular meetings and many social events, as well as generating ongoing rental income to support the Club’s charitable activities.

Over the years the Nelson Underwater Club has been a force to be reckoned with in national spearfishing, scuba and photography competitions, quite often dominating these events for years on end.

Politically, the Club has led the charge in of many bureaucratic battles defending divers rights, dive tank testing procedures, medical requirements as well as marine reserve establishment and monitoring and fishing issues. Members of the club have and continue to participate in many community projects including beach clean-ups, marine pest eradication, community snorkel days and many other environmental projects.

The Nelson Underwater Club has always done its best to provide benefits and upskilling opportunities to the members, and always encourages its membership to participate in ongoing dive related qualification. The Club has historically run regular first aid, oxygen provider and VHF courses to ensure the ongoing safety of everyone on Club trips.

The ongoing success of the Nelson Underwater Club is a credit to all those who preceded us, and the valuable contributions they made with time and money. It is up to the current members to continue the work and make their own place in the Club’s history books so future generations can continue to look back at a thriving club while also looking forward to a bright future.