Dive into the Adventurous World of Underwater Sports
Have you ever heard about underwater sports? If no, then you will be surprised to know that various sports are organized underwater. A wide range of sports is played and conducted underwater. Moreover, they are as entertaining and fun as the above-ground sports.
Underwater sports include a group of competitive sports that require underwater diving techniques like scuba, snorkeling, and breath-hold using equipment such as fins and diving masks. These sports are organized in natural sites like open water or confined water spaces such as lakes. Moreover, they are also conducted in artificial aquatic environments like swimming pools. Continue reading the article to know more about underwater sports.
List of Underwater Sports
Entertaining and fun, underwater sports allow you to explore new entertainment ways. Here is a list of popular underwater sports.
Underwater Hockey
One of the most popular underwater sports is underwater hockey or UWH. It is also known as Octopush underWater Hockey. It is a limited-contact sport that is played across the globe. Underwater hockey includes two teams containing 6 players in each team. Moreover, each team also contains four substitute players face to face. UWH includes 3 referees, out of which two stays in water to manage the game and report fouls.
The objective of UWH is to put a puck or around 1.3kg into the opponent’s goal, which is present underwater. The teams use sticks to pass and put the puck in a goal. An underwater hockey match usually lasts for thirty minutes, including the two fifteen-minutes halves. The game is organized on a course with a length of around 20 to 25 meters and a width of approximately 12 to 15 meters.
Underwater Ice Hockey
Hockey is one of the most popular sports in the world. But, when it comes to underwater sports, underwater ice hockey or sub-aqua hockey is the one. This minor extreme sport is a variant of ice hockey. This game is played upside-down underneath the frozen ponds or pools.
In this underwater sport, participants wear fins, wetsuits, and diving masks. The playing area includes the underside of a frozen surface. Moreover, they use a rink for a puck. Competitors are not allowed to use breathing apparatus. However, they can go up on the surface for air every 30 seconds or so.
Underwater Football
Football is not only the most popular but also one of the most dangerous sports in the world. However, when it comes to underwater football, not many people know about it.
The sport of underwater football includes two teams and is conducted in a swimming pool. Each team contains 13 players, but only 5 players are present on the court at one time. Underwater football is played using snorkeling equipment like fins, mask, and snorkel.
The objective of this sport is to maneuver a negatively buoyant ball to place it in the gutter present on one side of the pool. The ball is carried from one side or the pool to the other by completely submerged underwater players.
Underwater Orienteering
Another popular underwater sport is underwater orienteering. This underwater game includes the use of recreational scuba diving equipment, which is an open circuit. It consists of a set of team and individual events that are organized in both open and sheltered water. The aim of this sport is to test the competency of competitors in underwater navigation.
The underwater orienteering competition focuses on the effectiveness of the navigation techniques utilized by the participants to swim an underwater course. The participants have to follow a route that is marked on a map. The map is prepared by the organizers using a counter meter and compass.
Underwater Photography
I guess everyone loves either clicking photos or getting clicked. But underwater photography is slightly different. This underwater sport is based on scuba and is governed by CMAS. In underwater photography, competitors dive at a saltwater ocean site for a time period of two days. The participants have to dive in the same ocean and at the same time. They use digital camera systems to click photos.
The digitally clicked photographs are assessed and ranked by judges. They use five photographic categories to provide scores to the participants. At the present time, the sport is mainly practiced in non-English speaking nations.
Aquathlon
Aquathlon is also known as underwater wrestling. It is somewhat similar to wrestling but is organized underwater. In this underwater sport, two competitors wearing fins and masks have to wrestle underwater. The aim is to remove the ribbon present on the ankle of the opponent to win the bout.
The sport includes three rounds of 30-second each. There is the fourth round also in case of a tie. Intervals between the combats are of 30 seconds. Moreover, there is an interval of at least one minute between any two rounds.
Underwater Rugby
Rugby is a popular sport and is played across the globe. The underwater version of this sport is also popular as well as entertaining. This underwater sport includes two teams with twelve players in each team. However, only six players of each team play the game at a time.
The players try to put a negatively buoyant ball into the goal of opponents present at the bottom of a pool.
Underwater rugby is played in a pool of 3.5 to 5m depth, and goals are present at the bottom of the swimming pool. The ball can be passed in any direction, but it should not leave the water. Different abilities like speed, strength, and agility are highly essential to play this sport.
Freediving
Freediving is an underwater sport and is also known as breath-hold diving, skin diving, or free-diving. The underwater diving sport depends on breath-holding until resurfacing. It does not include breathing apparatus like scuba gear.
The factors that impact the duration and limit of the divers include breath-hold, exposure to ambient pressure, and immersion in water. Some popular freediving activities include competitive and non-competitive spearfishing, traditional fishing techniques, and freediving. Both men and women can participate in this underwater sport. It is an individual sport that is based on the best individual achievement.
Sport Diving
Sport diving is a popular underwater sport that includes team and individual events that are organized in a swimming pool to test the effectiveness of competitors in scuba diving techniques. The sport includes the use of scuba diving equipment.
There are four objectives of sport diving. The first is to promote the development of recreational scuba diving techniques and equipment. The second is to encourage scuba diving activities in suitable diving sites. The third is to render an opportunity to scuba divers to improve their technique. The last one is to promote scuba diving as a spectator sport.
Finswimming
In this underwater sport, athletes race against each other in an underwater swimming pool. They use different breathing and floating equipment like fins, snorkels, masks, and scuba diving sets. The competitions of finswimming are organized in both open water and swimming pools. Short distance races are organized in swimming pools, whereas the long-distance races are organized in open waters. Finswimming includes the use of four techniques: Surface swimming. Bi-fins swimming, immersion swimming, and apnoea finswimming.
Underwater Target Shooting
This underwater sport is usually conducted in swimming pools. It can also be played in open waters. However, organizers opt for swimming pools due to visibility considerations. The equipment used in this sport includes fins, snorkel, diving mask, speargun, gloves, and a target.
The target is made of 33-35 centimeters panel with its center located at a distance of 80 centimeters above the bottom of the pool. The rounds are of five minutes, and ten players need to shoot ten shots at a fixed target. The competitors should return to the surface in between the shots. However, they should reload the gun only underwater.
Spearfishing
Spearfishing is one of the best underwater sports that involves capturing fish present underwater using the technique of holding breath. The participants use a tackle system like speargun in this tournament of fixed duration. The diving mask, speargun, and swimfins allow the participants to dive in deeper water.
Underwater Video
This one is another popular underwater sport that is based on scuba and is governed by CMAS. In this sport, the teams of competitors use digital video systems to shoot videos. The competitors dive at the same time in the same saltwater ocean site for a time period of over two days. The jury assesses and ranks the videos of participants.
Final Words
Underwater sports are not usual, but there is a surprising number of sports that are conducted underwater. They are as entertaining as above the ground sports. These sports are organized in either sheltered water or open water like lakes. Now, tell us about your favorite underwater sport by dropping a comment.
