UNDERWATER

HOCKEY

By Irmaksu Dogan
Grade 6-L
HISTORY OF
UNDERWATER
HOCKEY
Underwater Hockey is an underwater sport that
is similar to hockey. This game is usually played
in a swimming pool. This game is also called
Octopush in the UK.

The game was invented in Great Britain in 1954

to help train divers. It is now played in more than
40 countries. New Zealand, Great Britain, France,
Turkey, Australia, South Africa and Colombia are
the leading underwater hockey nations.
PLAYERS AND
EQUİPMENTS
The game is played with six
players on each team.
Opponents dash for a
weighted puck and move it
along the bottom of the pool
toward an open-ended goal
that is 3 meters wide.

There are no goalies - each side uses teamwork and

formations to defend and score. It is a no-contact
sport, so pulling and grabbing are not allowed.

Two referees watch for fouls and goals, and players

can be relegated to a penalty box. The playing field
is a pool that is 25 by 15 meters (25m x 15m) with a
depth of 2-4 meters.

The puck weighs 1.5 kilograms and is made of lead

alloy coated with plastic.

Players wear large fins and a snorkel mask while

carrying a small stick (the pusher stick) in a thickly
gloved hand.

The pusher stick dimensions have to fit within a 300 by

100 millimeter box (about 11 inches by 4 inches).
THE RULES

The rules of Underwater Hockey are fairly simple.

Basically it is a non contact sport, a player cannot
interfere with another player with their free hand.
There is no off side rule however shepherding and
obstruction is not allowed. The puck must not rest on
the glove or be carried on top of the bat or stopped
deliberately by anything other than the bat.

Each game has two 15-minute halves with a short

halftime. The teams begin the match on either end of
the pool, with the opening buzzer signaling a mad dive
as the players scramble for possession of the puck
placed in the middle at the bottom.