Alan Blake was a founder-member of the newly formed Southsea Sub-Aqua Club. Namely, Sub-Aqua divers were looking for some new form of fun and something new that would keep them engaged and fit during the winter months when diving in the North Sea was restricted by the cold. It was originally called "Octopush" (and still known locally by that name in the United Kingdom today), the original rules ca
lled for teams of eight players, a bat reminiscent of a tiny shuffleboard stick called a "pusher" (hence the "-push"), an uncoated lead puck called a "squid", and a goal known at first as a "cuttle" but soon thereafter a "gulley". Apart from 'pusher' and to a lesser extent 'Octopush' much of this original terminology is now consigned to history. Underwater hockey enjoys popularity in approximately 60 countries of the world, with particular emphasis on the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States, as well as to a lesser extent in other countries such as Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Namibia, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Rwanda, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and Zimbabwe, and is gaining a foothold in numerous additional countries. Underwater hockey is a very dynamic and physically demanding sport. There is no age limit but it is not recommended for those under the age of 14 since it takes physical strength to withstand . The game is rough, injuries are common, but hockey players find this sport very addictive and challenging. Historically, World Championships have been held every two years since 1980. At the Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS) 14th World Underwater Hockey Championship held in August 2006 in Sheffield, England, at the time a record 44 teams from 17 countries competed in six age and gender categories. Subsequent world championships have been less well-attended including the WAA World Championship held in 2008 in Durban, South Africa, until the 18th CMAS World Championship was held in Eger, Hungary in August 2013. This event once again saw all age and gender divisions, now including men and women in U19, U23, Masters and Elite categories compete. There were 68 teams competing across the eight age/gender divisions from 19 participating countries, making this World Championship the largest competition in the history of the sport to date. During the 18th World Championships a decision was made by the federations to split the competition into two events with Junior Grades (U19, U23) to be accommodated in a separate event to be held every two years from 2015 with the competition for the Elite and Masters grades in Stellenbosch, South Africa in 2016. Even though underwater hockey has existed in the world for almost 70 years, it was only introduced to us in 1994, when Božana Ostojić, owner of the Calypso club and chief diving instructor, brought the first pucks and sticks instead of souvenirs. Our first national
team was playful and skilful, and they managed to record great results only a few years later at the European Championships in France back in 1997. Our women’s national team was 4th and men’s team finished 5th. Since then, they have won numerous international cups and tournaments. Meanwhile, our women won the bronze medal at the European Championships in San Marino in 2003. In 2005, in Marseilles, France, both female and male team won 4th place.
