# Underwater hockey in Australia

Underwater hockey has been played in Australia since 1966 and is played in most states and territories. As of September 2013, Australia has been very successful at the international level finishing in the top three 43 times including being the world champion in various divisions 23 times out of 53 appearances at 17 international events.

## History

Underwater hockey has been played in Australia since 1966. Its introduction is attributed to Norm Leibeck, an Australian who returned from Canada both with Marlene, his Canadian bride, and a recently-acquired knowledge of underwater hockey then known as Octopush. The first Australian Underwater Hockey Championships was held in 1975 at Margaret River, Western Australia as part of the Australian Skindiving Convention (now called the Australian Underwater Championships). A Women's division was added to the championships in 1981 and a Junior division commenced in 1990.

## Governance

The peak body is the Underwater Hockey Commission (known as Underwater Hockey Australia) of the Australian Underwater Federation (AUF). There are state commissions in all states and territories with the exception of the Northern Territory. Underwater hockey has a coaching stream as part of the AUF's coaching program in underwater sport with two levels being accredited with the Australian Government's National Coaching Accreditation Scheme (NCAS).

## Domestic competitions

Underwater hockey is played at venues in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. The national championships are held annually and as an event separate from the Australian Underwater Championships since 1994.
As of 2017, the Australia nationals have six separate divisions based on age and gender – Under 15, Under 19 Mixed, Under 19 Women's, Masters, Elite Women's and Elite Men's.

## National team

Australia has played at world level since the inaugural world championship event in 1980. Australia did not send teams to the 15th CMAS World Championship in 2007 or to the 16th CMAS World Championship in 2009.

### At the World Championships

| Year | Championship | Location event | Men's Elite | Women's Elite | Men's Masters | Women's Masters | Men's U-19 | Women's U-19 | Men's U-23/24 | Women's U-23/24 |
| 1980 | 1st CMAS World Championship | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | 3 | No event | No event | No event | No event | No event | No event | No event |
| 1982 | 2nd CMAS World Championship | Brisbane, Australia | 1 | 1 | No event | No event | No event | No event | No event | No event |
| 1984 | 3rd CMAS World Championship | Chicago, United States | 1 | 1 | No event | No event | No event | No event | No event | No event |
| 1986 | 4th CMAS World Championship | Adelaide, Australia | 2 | 1 | No event | No event | No event | No event | No event | No event |
| 1988 | 5th CMAS World Championship | Amersfoort, Netherlands | 1 | 3 | No event | No event | No event | No event | No event | No event |
| 1990 | 6th CMAS World Championship | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | 1 | 1 | No event | No event | No event | No event | No event | No event |
| 1992 | 7th CMAS World Championship | Wellington, New Zealand | 1 | 2 | 1 | No event | No event | No event | No event | No event |
| 1994 | 8th CMAS World Championship | Grand Couronne, France | 1 | 1 | 3 | No event | No event | No event | No event | No event |
| 1996 | 9th CMAS World Championship | Durban, South Africa | 1 | 2 | 2 | No event | No event | No event | No event | No event |
| 1998 | 10th CMAS World Championship | San José, United States | 3 | 2 | 4 | Did not participate | No event | No event | No event | No event |
| 2000 | 11th CMAS World Championship | Hobart, Australia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | No event | No event | No event | No event |
| 2002 | 12th CMAS World Championship | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | Did not participate | No event | No event | No event |
| 2004 | 13th CMAS World Championship | Christchurch, New Zealand | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | Did not participate | No event | No event |
| 2006 | 14th CMAS World Championship | Sheffield, United Kingdom | 4 | 1 | 6 | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | | | No event | No event |
| 2007 | Disputed 15th World Championship (Part of 1st CMAS Games) | Bari, Italy | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | | | | | | No event | No event |
| 2008 | Alternative 15th World Championship and 1st Junior World Championship (1st WAA World Championships) | Durban, South Africa | 4 | 1 | 5 | No event | Did not participate | Did not participate | | No event | No event |
| 2009 | 16th World Championship | Kranj, Slovenia | Did not participate | Did not participate | No event | No event | No event | No event | | | | No event | No event |
| 2011 | 17th CMAS World Championship | Coimbra, Portugal | 1 | 2 | No event | No event | No event | No event | No event | No event |
| 2013 | 18th CMAS World Championship | Eger, Hungary | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | Held Separately | Held Separately | Held Separately | Held Separately |
| 2016 | 19th CMAS World Championship | Stellenbosch, South Africa | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | Held Separately | Held Separately | Held Separately | Held Separately |
| 2018 | 20th CMAS World Championship | Quebec City, Canada | 7 | 6 | 6 | 2 | Held Separately | Held Separately | Held Separately | Held Separately |
| 2023 | 21th CMAS World Championship | Gold Coast, Australia | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | Held Separately | Held Separately | Held Separately | Held Separately |

### At the Junior World Championships

| Year | Championship | Location event | Men's U-19 | Women's U-19 | Men's U-23/24 | Women's U-23/24 |
| 2013 | 2nd Junior World Championship | Eger, Hungary | 4 | 4 | 2 | ? |
| 2015 | 3rd Junior World Championship | Castellón de la Plana, Spain | ? | ? | 2 | 4 |
| 2017 | 4th Junior World Championship | Hobart, Australia | ? | 2 | ? | ? |
| 2019 | 5th Junior World Championship | Sheffield, United Kingdom | Did not participate | Did not participate | 6 | Did not participate |
| 2024 | 6th Junior World Championship | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 |