I have played both Underwater Rugby and UWHockey. Haven't tried UWOrienteering yet-using compass to follow complicated course directions underwater .chappy:
At Anne Arundel Community College, when scuba club was active years ago, they used to have an annual Christmas Tree lighting at night in the pool. Artificial tree used, Cyalume and other ornaments used .It looked neat , with ornaments pointing up instead of down from gravity .
There are rubber torpedoes for sale at dive shops, they twist as you throw them underwater.They go farther than salt-filled UWRugby balls (Over 20 feet versus 6-7 feet ) , probably could be used as substitute for UWRugby balls .
There was an underwater hockey team from your area,Virginia Beach . They sent a few players to a tournament last summer at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia . They also sent players to a previous tournament at Virginia Tech college in Blacksburg, southern Virginia .Probably still playing in Virginia Beach , but I don't have any contact info on them . Some clubs play UWHockey or UWRugby and don't have a website and are unknown to many other teams .
One of my scuba instructors also taught at the Naval Academy,and he had us tread water with our hands up in air and also try to swim while holding a 10 pound weight. 10 pounds was easy, and I managed to grab 40 pounds from the deep end and swim to the surface and catch a breath, but would sink quickly if I stopped kicking vigorously for an instant . We used plastic coated barbell weights, some filled with sand, and rubber coated bricks .
To simulate low visibility dives, like in Chesapeake Bay or Severn River , we swam in scuba in a pool with our masks lenses blacked out . Other times, the instructor would surprise each student by ripping off their mask or shutting off the air supply, in the pool .
You can find info on other UW games on the website Underwater Society of America .
If you find anyone in Va. Beach playing UWHockey, send me an email address for one of them , as I have some pictures of them at thecookout in the park at the last cup at G.M.U.
~~~Frank~~~
