Committee
Image by Wayne Chandra
The UWA Underwater Club is run by a committee of dedicated members who are elected each year at the Annual General Meeting. The AGM is the biggest club gathering in the whole year and celebrates the achievements of the recent dive season. All members and non-members are welcome to the AGM and it is a great way to see how the club operates. The club is always looking for more volunteer facilitators and you don’t need to be at the AGM to put your hand up. If you are keen to help out the club or require to speak to any of the committee members simply get in touch with us via the contact button below.
Dylan Walker
President
Dylan can normally be found scrounging in the bilge of Doris or planning the next big spend within the club. Always happy for a yarn about diving and the après dive scene. Favourite dive locations in WA include the Abrolhos and Opera House.
Dave Berry
Vice President
Dave is a seasoned cave diver who’s explored everything from the Nullarbor plains to the mysterious depths of Bikini Atoll. When he’s not exploring underwater caves, you’ll likely find him on the boat, always ready for a beer and a hearty chat about diving adventures.
Emma Gaschk
Secretary
A good friend of Emma’s convinced her to do (and taught) her open water in 2022 and she hasn’t looked back since. Currently working towards getting cave certified, she loves exploring new dive sites and finding little nooks and crannies to swim through. When she’s not diving she’s completing her PhD in chemistry, although a lot of her friends say she takes her diving more seriously than her actual degree…
Coen Arrow
Secretary
Coen has been with the club since 2020 and quickly found himself more involved than he initially planned. He’s a reef aficionado who prefers the colorful company of fish over the solitude of wrecks. Just don’t invite him on a cold-water dive; he’s not a fan.
Sebastien Roocke
Large Equipment Officer
Seb is a bit of a bogan but incredibly reliable. He’s often seen diving with a set of twin tanks so heavy they could anchor a ship. A cave diver and explorer at heart, Seb is always up for an underwater adventure.
Aren Leishman
Small Equipment Officer
Aren is the club’s tech guru, always tinkering with equipment to keep everything running smoothly. His knowledge of diving is so comprehensive, you’d think he wrote the manual. If something technical goes awry, Aren is your go-to fixer.
Hope Berry
Social Coordinator
Hope is the club’s social dynamo, always wearing a smile and ready to lend a hand. She’s a tech diving enthusiast who’s also rumored to be an excellent underwater photographer and a connoisseur of dive spots.
Anton Kuret
Social Coordinator
Anton is a wellspring of knowledge on just about any topic. From scientific diving to engineering to your most obscure hobbies, Anton likely knows a thing or two about it.
Greg Madden
Membership Officer/Skipper Training Coordinator
Greg Madden is a CCR diver who is just starting to dabble in Cave. Greg’s favourite dives in WA include the Exmouth Navy Pier and Key Biscayne wreck in Lancelin. Greg is the Trainee Skipper Co-Ordinator.
Bernie Riegler
Extended Trip Coordinator and Dive Coordinator
Bernie started diving when his hair was dark, and mullets were cool (the first time). Soon after joining the UWA Underwater Club in 2020, he jumped onto the committee taking on the coordination roles for the Skipper roster and away trips. If you’re with him when he’s skippering, he’ll usually drop you at one of his many favourite spots at the west end of Rotto providing directions that usually end with “…or somewhere around there”. Having now retired his cray loop to the corner of the shed, he much prefers taking nothing but pictures because “they last longer and remind me of places I’d rather be”.
Kim Morrissey
Extended Trip Coordinator and Dive Coordinator
I am currently student at UWA studying chemistry and German. I am half Australian half American and spent a gap year backpacking Australia. My first ever dive was with my family in the Galapagos and my parents met diving in the Seychelles.
Huw Porter
Website Officer
Huw learnt to dive in the English Channel in 1999, and amazingly this didn’t put him off forever. Since then he has dived in every continent apart from Antarctica, dived reefs, wrecks and caves and spent far too much on Helium.
Wayne Chandra
Website Officer
Wayne has been a club member for over a decade and is an experienced diver and phenomenal photographer. He also happens to be a web developer, ensuring our online presence is as sleek as a dolphin.
Simone Gelsinari
General Committee
Simone is an academic engineer who brings a touch of Italian flair to the club. Always happy to help, he’s the guy you’d want to share a post-dive pizza with—just don’t ask him about pineapple as a topping.
Georgina Henderson
General Committee
Georgina is an experienced diver who’s always looking out for you, whether it’s offering tips or sharing her cave diving experiences in Mexico. She’s the friend you’d want by your side during any dive.
Océane Attlan
General Committee
Oceane, whose name is just a letter away from ‘ocean,’ is a bubbly enthusiast from France. She’s always brimming with energy, whether it’s for her marine studies or the next club outing.
Shaw
General Committee
Hey there, I’m Shaw, a Biotech Master’s student hailing from China. Oh, don’t even get me started on long-distance running, Real Madrid, F1 Ferrari, and the Mavericks. When I’m not on land, I’m a scuba dive instructor, usually dive in a cold fresh lake
Patrick Morrison
General Committee
Patrick is a maritime archaeologist and a master photographer. Known for his over-achieving nature, he’s one of the most genuinely lovely people you’ll ever meet in or out of the water.
Alec McGregor
General Committee
Alec is a recent Dive Master who’s keen to practice his underwater photography and videography skills. He’s the club’s resident subsea robotics enthusiast, happiest when he’s submerged and exploring the ocean.
Jack Hennessy
General Committee
Jack is an experienced boater who migrated from the NSW dive club. With hair as flowing as the ocean currents, he’s so likable that you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who’d say a bad word about him.
Ashley Atkinson
General Committee
Ashley is a disability assistance diver who loves to dive for crayfish. One season he got over 1000 crayfish by loop and hand.
Honorary Life Members
- Paul Rigby
- Paul Sparrow
- Neil Taylor
- Peter Morrison
- Hugh Richards
- Pia Claudius
- Shane Colley
- Richard Chapman
- Julian Holmes
- Gerald “Mark” Cliff
- Simon Lockwood
