Intro:

SNTV takes an in-depth look at Octopush at one of the sport's Blue Riband events - the BOA National Finals held at Ponds Forge in Sheffield, UK.

Script:

Despite its modest beginnings the sport of 'Octopush' - or underwater hockey - is rapidly rising to the surface.

It was Invented in the early 1950s by sub-aqua divers in Southsea, England who, lacking diving equipment to cope with the cold seas in winter, needing something to pass the time during their dive club pool sessions

Fifty years on and the game has spread to much of the world, from Australia to America, Canada to Colombia, New Zealand to the Netherlands.

Underwater hockey is fast, furious and is certain to take your breath away.

Players wear a diving mask, snorkel, fins, water polo hat and, of course, a swimming costume.

They hold a hockey stick, called a pusher, in a gloved hand and use it to push, pass or flick a weighted puck between team-mates to get the puck into the opposing team's three-metre goal, called a "gully", at the end of a 25-metre pool.

Bournemouth and Southampton player Rebecca Lord explained the tough nature of the sport:

SOUNDBITE: (English) Rebecca Lord, Player for 'Bournemouth and Southampton':

"Well it is a three-dimensional sport. It is more than just the pitch...it is going up and down and timing your breaths right. It is very fast and very intense and it's all about determination and staying on the bottom however much it hurts. You can't take a break while you are playing. There is no sport as fast as underwater hockey is."

The highly competitive nature of the sport - and the unique demands it places on the human body - mean that the health benefits from taking part are obvious.

And, you never know, the underwater world of Octopush could soon be making waves at a pool near you.