There was a certain commotion at the London dive show earlier this year. Amidst the anticipated and popular stands was an extremely different and entirely unexpected form of underwater promotion. As the throngs of people devoured all the show had to offer, it was almost comical to observe an array of individuals stop, laugh and descend into shock at the bright blue stand in front of them.

This was clearly no ordinary stand. Whatever they were promoting was free to join, and just a little bit exciting! Wow. We needed to find out more... Rosie Magee was happy to fill us in on the finer points of the international sport of Underwater Rugby!

Hello. I think the first question that needs to be asked is …. What exactly IS Underwater Rugby, and is this actually a real sport?!

YES… I promise you it is! That is actually the first question that many of the perplexed and confused visitors at LIDS asked us this year! Underwater Rugby first originated in Germany in the 1960’s, after being set up by Ludwig von Bursa to help diver’s develop their fitness. It is actually taken very seriously by many countries across the world, with our club making its international debut at a competition in Italy last year.

But is it popular and well-known in Great Britain?

Oliver Kraus, the founder of our club, came to England from Slovakia, where he played and coached Underwater Rugby on a regular basis. On arrival in England, he realised that despite diving and sports such as underwater hockey existing, there was an absence of a GB Underwater Rugby club! He decided then to enlist the help of a strong, bubbly Scot Robert Bonner, an amusing, experienced dive instructor Roy Sherwin and Gemma Witts to set up the UK’s only team, under the assistance of BSAC. Hence, PURE Underwater Rugby, GB’s only Underwater Rugby team was delicately born!

Hold on... But how do you actually play Underwater Rugby?

Underwater Rugby is a fun, challenging and competitive sport, played by two teams below the surface of a swimming pool. Different to rugby as we know it, It is always played in water, with a usual depth of 3.5-5m. Two teams, of no more than six people wear basic equipment such as fins, a mask, a snorkel and a hat ( extremely flattering…) It is played with a negatively buoyant ball filled with salt water. The basic idea is to get your ball into the opposing team’s bucket by passing to your team and tackling them underwater! You cannot tackle around the neck, or grab someone’s fins, but apart from that it’s a full contact sport.

Buckets?!

Yes, each team’s “goal” are heavy, solid metal buckets which sit on either end of the pool! The two teams battle underwater to get their ball into the opposing team’s bucket. The ball can be passed in any direction, as long it does not break the surface of the water, therefore it is truly three dimensional!

Er... what do you do about breathing?!

You hold your breath, which believe me, actually gets easier the longer you play the sport! The main thing is timing – you have to time when it is right to tackle someone or defend your goal. You defend the goal by almost “sitting” in the bucket, placing your back against it and kicking your legs vertically in the water!

Where do you play?!

PURE Underwater Rugby trains in Putney on Thursday nights from 9.00-10.30pm! There are also a range of international tournaments that the team will be attending this year, such as the first ever international tournament in Bordeaux, France, alongside an established international tournament in Florence.

What skills do you need to play?

Technically just strength, stamina and fitness. However, in reality, all PURE really wants is people with an open-mind, who are willing and prepared to challenge themselves out of their comfort zone and try something completely different. It is an extremely friendly team, who enjoy discussing tactics and socialising, as much as channelling aggression underwater. And if that isn’t incentive enough, there is no opening line/story quite as good as “I play Underwater Rugby for Great Britain”.

Indeed! PURE Underwater Rugby trains every Thursday from 9-10.30pm in Putney Leisure Centre London.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/PUREUnderwaterRugby

Twitter: https://twitter.com/pureuwr

Email: underwater-rugby@hotmail.co.uk

With massive thanks to Rosie Magee for the article and info!