What is Octopush?

Octopush, also known as Underwater Hockey, is a fast paced sport played by teams of six at the bottom of a pool. Invented in the early 1950's by divers who wanted to stay fit in the pool, but is now played across the globe and has international competitions every year. 

How do you play?

The object of the game is to move a lead puck, with the help of a hand held pusher (stick) along the bottom of the pool. A team scores by pushing the puck into the opponent's goal. This is often achieved best through skill rather than brute strength.

What equipment will I need?

Octopush is played with fins, mask, snorkel and a 'pusher' or stick. Additional safety equipment is worn which includes a glove and a water polo cap. Here at Warwick we can provide all the equipment you will need to play for free- just remember your swimming trunks!

Why is it one of the worlds most challenging sports?

All other sports allow the participants to breathe as they play. But in Underwater Hockey, players must hold their breath while diving down to do battle with their opponents. Some players can stay down for a long time, but the real skill of the game is judging when to dive. It can take just a few seconds to tackle an opponent and pass the puck to a colleague, and then return to the surface for a well-earned breath!

Who can play underwater hockey?

Regardless of how good you are (or think you might be) if you are interested to find out more you should come along to one of our regular training sessions. New players improve very quickly and just about everyone can play, just be able to swim at a basic level and join WUSAC to receive our emails.

How do I get involved?

How do I get involved? The club plays on Thursday nights 21:00 - 22:00 and again on Sunday night at 19:00 - 20:30. If you feel like coming along just turn up, both veterans and beginners are always welcome! The club also heads to the pub after each session, so we can actually talk to each other and the scuba divers (conversing underwater is pretty hard!).

What else?

We normally have some friendlies each term and we also play in several tournaments. These can be smaller, such as the Plymouth 'Valentines Tournament', or as large as Student Nationals- in fact, we hosted  both the 2012 and the 2015 competitions, which involved up to 20 university teams from all over the country. Oh, and then of course there's always the afterparty...

Sound interesting?

The best way to find out if you will like the sport is to play it! Feel free to subscribe to our mailing list, email our exec for more questions (at subaqua@sunion.warwick.ac.uk), find us on Facebook or come along to any of our sessions.

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