During 1995, the Scuba Clubs’ Association of NSW (SCAN) was established. The legally adopted objectives of SCAN are to promote scuba diving, promote relations between scuba diving clubs, represent scuba divers’ views to Government and other bodies and encourage the conservation and protection of marine and fresh water environments. Membership of SCAN is open to any dive club in NSW and the ACT, whether independent or associated with a commercial diving organisation (such as a dive shop).
On 22 July 1997 the First Annual General Meeting of SCAN was held. At that meeting, the Vice-President John Chadd (Ryde Underwater Club/URG Dive Club) succeeded Michael McFadyen (St George Scuba Club) as the Association’s President. Gordon McDonald (South Pacific Divers' Club) was elected as Vice-President, Les Caterson (St George Scuba Club) remained as Treasurer and Duncan Leadbitter (URG Dive Club) was elected to the position of Secretary.
Since its inception in early 1995, SCAN has organised several events, including two dive weekends at Jervis Bay, one dive weekend at Nelson Bay, two Sydney dive days and the first public visits to the new hyperbaric unit of Sydney’s Prince of Wales Hospital. All these events have been quite successful, with more than 200 attending the last Sydney Dive Day.
To date, SCAN has been liaising with various Government departments and Ministers over a number of matters. These include marine park legislation, fishing regulations, shipwreck laws, scuba diving regulations as well as boating laws. SCAN has been appointed to a number of advisory bodies to be able to represent the views of the general diving public to the government.
SCAN continues to represent divers issues by having a position, on the RVAG, Recreational Vessels Advisory Group, and the Marine Parks Authority.