The San Francisco Bay Area underwater rugby team, the Giant Sea Bass, will head to Montreal, Canada on May 27 to compete in the 17th North American League Tournament.
This will be the second time the Giant Sea Bass have competed at a national level. Teams from the United States and Canada compete in the North American League, with the Giant Sea Bass as the only team from the West Coast.
“Last time we competed in a national tournament we came in fourth, but we have been practicing a lot and getting a lot stronger and more organized — so fingers crossed and high hopes for this one,” said Jacqui Hayes, a teammate on the Giant Sea Bass.
Underwater rugby is played in the deep end of a pool, with two teams of six players and six substitutes. Each position has two players who take turns playing as the other catches their breath on the side of the pool. A goal is scored by getting the ball into the opposing team’s wire basket at the bottom of the pool. The game is two, 15-minute halves with a five-minute halftime.
Watch the video above to see what underwater rugby is all about.
