00. What is Underwater Hockey?

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Underwater hockey is a fun, fast, three-dimensional game. The game is played on the bottom of a pool and playing quickly builds swimming and free diving capability. Players wear fins, mask, snorkel, and a protective glove and headgear (the same kind as for water polo).

Two teams of six players face off against each other. The puck rests on the bottom of the playing area, and the two teams vie to control the puck and put it into their opponent’s goal, which also resides on the bottom of the playing area.

The playing area is roughly 25m long by 15m wide and optimally 2.5m deep. There is a goal at each end of the playing area, which is a metal trough about 10 feet across.

The puck starts in the center of the playing area, and once a tone strikes indicating play has begun, both teams race from opposite walls to the center area and attempt to gain possession of the puck and then go on and score a goal.

The stick is short, approximately 1 foot long and made of wood or plastic polymer, and carried in one hand. The puck is heavy, around 3 lb. and coated with a protective layer of hard plastic.

The object of the game is to put the puck in the opposition's goal. To do this a team must work together, for one person cannot feasibly score a goal alone. There are a variety of strategies and formats teams play to be most effective.

Play and strategy is similar to soccer or ice hockey except that the playing surface is at the bottom of a pool. The rules are "non-contact" and players generally cover zones around the puck. Success ultimately depends on teamwork, since no single person can hold his or her breath forever. 

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