You ’ ve never heard of underwater rugby … where have you been ? Kristina Pedder meets one of the few clubs in the UK dedicated to the sport
CLUBFOCUS
GB and German teams shake hands
PURE Underwater Rugby
LOCATION : Putney & Guildford leisure centres
MEMBERSHIP FEE : £ 13 /£ 8 per session ( at Putney / Guildford ), or reduced quarterly rates , plus BSAC Snorkel membership
CONTACT : e underwater-rugby @ hotmail . co . uk
! pureunderwaterrugby . com F facebook . com / PUREUnderwaterRugby Y youtube . com /@ CristhianEscobarReye
Practising passing at Guildford
You ’ ve never heard of underwater rugby … where have you been ? Kristina Pedder meets one of the few clubs in the UK dedicated to the sport
What is underwater rugby ?
Underwater rugby is a breath-hold sport in which two teams of six snorkellers attempt to place a weighted ball under the rim of the other team ’ s goal . Each team ’ s steel bin , shaped like a basketball hoop , stands on the bottom of the pool between three and a half to five metres deep .
Did you invent the sport at the PURE club ?
No . It developed out of the conditioning exercises of German divers in the 1960s , much as the more familiar underwater hockey ( also known as octopush ) was started by British divers . The sport is popular in other European countries , across Scandinavia , in parts of south and north America ( notably Colombia ), and in a few other places , including Singapore . The first international championship was held in 1980 , after the sport was recognised by the Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques ( CMAS ) in 1978 .
When did the sport come to the UK ?
Founder member and original treasurer Rob Bonnar recalls the club ’ s beginnings in 2013 : “ I was doing ballroom dancing lessons when I met a Slovakian guy called Oliver Kraus , and he asked me if I would like
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