What is underwater hockey?

Underwater Hockey (UWH), also known as Octopush (mainly in the United Kingdom) is a globally played limited-contact sport in which two teams compete to maneuver a puck across the bottom of a swimming pool into the opposing team’s goal by propelling it with a hockey stick (pusher or bat).

A game is played by 2 teams of 6 players per team. Each team may have up to 4 substitute players making a max of 10 players per team. This results in fast substitutions which resemble tag wrestling. The idea is to work quickly, and then get out to recover. This increases the speed and exhilaration of the game.

How it is played

Before the start of play the puck is placed in the centre of the pool, and the players wait in the water while touching the wall above the goal they are defending. At the start-of-play signal members of both teams are free to swim anywhere in the play area and try to score by maneuvering the puck into the opponents’ goal. There is a goal tray on the bottom of the pool at each end of the playing area. The goal is 3m long with a slope from the front into a shallow trough at the back wall. The puck must pass through the goal volume for a team to score a goal.

The action happens on the tiled bottom of a swimming pool, in about 2 meters of water. Players hold their breath as they dive to the bottom of the pool. Play continues until either a goal is scored, when players return to their wall to start a new point, or a break in play is signaled by a referee (whether due to a foul, a time-out, or the end of the period of play). A game is 30 minutes long, comprising of two 15 minute halves with a 3 minute break at half time.

The game is 3D, how you play is only limited by your imagination.

Equipment and gear needed for play

Other equipment needed

• Pool size: 25m x 15m
• Pool depth: Between 1.8m – 3m deep
• Goal tray: 3m length

Videos about underwater hockey

How to find a club near you?

Use the map we have put together on this website. It contains the most up to date list of all the clubs around the world. Some clubs are still missing as the club information can be hard to find and clubs make changes all of the time. You can see all the clubs on the map or view the list of clubs on the list page.