About us

History of Lucas Divestore

In the 1960s, Dick Lucas (born in 1945 and founder of Lucas Diving) was already active in diving on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. In the early 1980s, Dick Lucas and his son Richard became certified divers, and in 1983 LUCAS DIVING was founded. It started as a family business with Dick, Dinie, and their sons Richard and Bjorn. Over the past four decades, the company has grown into a business with a loyal and dedicated team. Within the diving industry, Lucas Diving has become a trendsetter in Europe and far beyond. Dick, Bjorn, and Richard are still active divers, and all three are scuba instructors. Dick is even a Course Director Trainer. Meanwhile, the grandchildren (the third generation), Sem Lucas and Pim Lucas, are also working full-time for the company.

It all started in 1983 at the Lucas family's home in Almelo. After a few years, the company moved to Wierden to a larger location. Five years later, it moved again, this time to a new location in Nijverdal. In 2004, the Lucas family bought the premises of more than 4,000 m² where the company is still located today.

The Lucas company has customers in many different fields. For example, in 1995, Dick was asked to provide diving services for the Dutch Royal Family following their official state visit to Indonesia. The Royal Family had planned a few additional private days for scuba diving and Dick made sure that everything was a pleasant and memorable experience for them. Richard Lucas was involved in the first Arctic and Antarctic scuba-diving expeditions in the 1990s, travelling to both the North and South Poles. He personally dived beneath the ice shelves in both regions. Bjorn is also active in expeditions to some of the most remote areas in the world, taking care of the dives and logistics.

Dick Lucas was, and still is, the only European to have become a member of the Board of Directors of DEMA (Diving Equipment & Marketing Association). Through DEMA, he established contacts with legendary figures such as Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who passed away at the age of 87, and his son Jean-Michel Cousteau. Other notable contacts include Al Giddings, an underwater filmmaker known for his work on films such as The Abyss, Titanic, and James Bond movies; Sylvia Earle, the pioneering female oceanographer; as well as many movie stars and other celebrities connected to the world of scuba diving. Among the customers of Lucas Diving are many different people, groups and companies. From royalty, government organizations, fire departments, the army, police, special forces, universities, museums, swimming pools, dive schools and dive centres- and hopefully, you too!

In 2006, Lucas Diving also went online with the Lucas Divestore website. Within a short period of time, it became a leading company, offering products from all major scuba-diving brands. This growth was made possible by the dynamic and dedicated team behind Lucas Diving.