Underwater Rugby (UWR) is a quite young sport that has its origin in the physical fitness training of German diving clubs and has little in common with “normal” Rugby except for the name. It is played in a pool with a depth of 3.5m to 5m and the goals (heavy metal buckets with a diameter of about 40cm) are at the bottom of the pool. Two teams (blue and white), each with six players (plus six substitutes), try to score a goal by sending the slightly negatively buoyant ball (filled with saltwater) into the opponents’ goal. It is a fast and exhausting game therefore the subs replace their players on the fly.

The game always takes place under water and the ball must not leave the water. The ball can be passed (in any direction) to the other players. It “flies” about 2m or 3m before it stops due to the water resistance. This makes good tactics and good (three dimensional) positioning essential. The players can use different abilities. Strength, speed, mobility or simply low consumption of oxygen are all similarly important.

Not very many people play underwater rugby, because of this UWR is often played in mixed male-female teams.