John Ulyatt – “JU”
In September 2024, TSAC said farewell to our longest serving club member – “JU” – John Ulyatt, who had entered into his 50th year with the club but sadly passed in August.
A character, a gentleman, a fountain of knowledge, inspiring, with time for everyone, he will sorely be missed around TSAC. Devoted to wife Nora who passed 6 months before John, together they enjoyed many cruises, holidays and had a passion for playing Bridge.
JU learnt to dive as he was working in Stornoway and a jetty and slip way needed building to support the fabrication plant at Arnish Point. Without the required diving certificate to be able to work on the project, JU soon sorted that.
John became Diving Officer for 3 years from 1980, took a year off and then was Chairman from 1984 to 1986. During John’s time as DO in 1982, current members Rick and Jen Scarsbrook joined the club and Jen recalls as a trainee how as DO John would go round each of the 16 or so trainee’s checking they were happy, asking what they had done that night and what gear they had bought.
John was no easy push over on the committee, when asked at his first AGM in February 1981, could the club purchase tide tables for the noticeboard, John’s reply was “no, they are only 10p everyone can get their own”. Important matters for discussion at the time included whether to buy a wind-surfing board, buying hats for the Octopush team, club premises, organising cheese & wine evenings, canal trips, jumble sales and other such items we still discuss today like BBQ’s. John was part of the committee in 1981 that sorted changing the name from Sale Sub-Aqua Club to Trafford Sub-Aqua Club (for a bigger grant towards a boat!) In 1991 when we were stuck for premises with the Lacrosse club closing, he orchestrated the move to Urmston Cricket and Tennis club, where he was an active tennis member.
John was busy in the diving community, not just our club but also sat on the committee of NORFED, the Northern Federation of Divers, getting TSAC involved in different events such as Octopush and the yearly Windive event.
My favourite story of John’s was of his dive on a submarine, John found a hatch to enter a room, did so, and the hatch was knocked and closed behind him. Dark and quickly silty, he had to hand feel his way round the floor, walls and ceiling to find the hatch again. Pushing it, it wouldn’t budge. With all his strength he pushed it, no luck. One last time he pushed it, just as his buddy happened to be pulling on it from the other side and between them they got it open. Imagine that! Favourite story of mine, but not for John at the time. From then on, he only went under or in something if he could see daylight at the other side.
On one of my Scapa dives together with John, The Brummer. Nora was on that trip with us convalescing from an operation. Foggy weather that day and we had to return to the shotline to surface. As we got in, Jen shouted out to me, “make sure you bring him back, it’s his wedding anniversary!” I thought of nothing else that dive. I needn’t have worried though, at the bottom of the shot John clipped on his SMB reel to line out to make sure we got back to the shotline OK. Logbook also says “slow ascent.” Hand over hand up a shot line was John’s ascent preference, with first stop at half your maximum depth. Always something to learn from him.
For a long time, John used to “dive his age” near to his birthday only stopping when he was 66 and instead dived the 66th parallel, ie the Arctic circle. For his 50 years in diving, we planned a 50-minute dive in Capernwray and we were all going to come up on a platform at 50 minutes. It was a great turn out and effort, apart from John and his buddy getting the wrong platform!
John took underwater photos in an era when you couldn’t see it for weeks after! His club photo awards were many. Underwater photo in 1990, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2004. TSAC Shield in 1991, 1994, 1996, 2001, 2009 and 2010.
He probably would have won more awards, but every other year seemed to be on one of his long December holidays on a cruise or to somewhere exotic.
I was pleased to have been Chair of the club in 2013 when the committee decided to rename the “TSAC Shield for Dive Related photo” to “The JU Shield for Dive Related photo” to honor John and his many contributions to the club as he was drawing a close to his diving career at the age of 83.
The committee also acknowledged John’s contributions to TSAC with honorary membership in the early 2000’s.
A lot to read, but a lot to say about a very special man, not just in TSAC, but in life. Many of us will recite his stories and remember him fondly.
RIP JU, Thank you.
Comments are open, so please feel free to leave a memory or thought.
- Listen to John (and see the joy on his face) as he talks about diving and working in the Outer Hebrides, particularly on “The Stassa”, in this film by TSAC member Rick Scarsbrook and how John’s knowledge of The Stassa, directly affected 3 TSAC members lives.
Thanks to Neil Smitham for writing the Obituary.
