The aims of the project are given at the top of this page.  The following explains the mix involved for the research and development of this little project idea: 1.Underwater Hockey love as a player + 2.BScUnderwaterScience love as a student + 3.Media studies as a career move.
Mixing all three allowed the concept to be researched and developed during the degree and although totally broke after completion, the peanut butter sandwiches were rashioned and the project was endevoured to be achieved, come beg, deal and borrow.

2000/1 concept idea initiated and researched after a TV crew turned up to film a bit of our club game. They plopped a hand held camera in and shot 'home movie' of couple mins of people underwater pushing something around. Any footage is good, but it struck a cord that what you see and get hooked on as a player, is not being conveyed up to a TV audience..... What would be the way to convey it to a TV Spectator?..... so research begins.
2004 research complete and development begins. Bumped into aquaintence who was actually running with 'own' concept inspired around mention of initial idea, back in 2000/1. The aquaintance had fallen for the thought that 'remotely operated vehicles' (ROVs) would be suitable because they operate underwater and film stuff. Now, for the overall good of the sport, the project research was able to share its first bit of the in-depth findings and point out that a huge percentage of the cost of ROVs was in the pressure structure (not needed for 2 meters in a pool) and motors that were not dynamic enough for the speed of movement of the targets nature (fast changes of direction) that the players continuously displayed. The ROV platform was also pointed out as being unstable due to its neutral bouyancy.. it sways, which would give a TV audience a degree of discomfort.
This was accepted and so any future progress with the aquaintances idea, would at least now be without an unstable system, without the waste of perhaps around 20 to 30 thousand pounds and of course without many 'would-be' sea-sick onlookers.  Fairly useful information.  The research had proved itself helpful in a manner, possibly helping a wider picture of the promotion of the sport.
Also in 2004, an aquaintence in the BOA showed an interest in the research, regarding the filming of the '2006 Worlds' due to be held in Sheffield UK.  The research revealed the need for the use of multiple 'stable platform' cameras, yes 'stable platform' being the critical fussy bit to a good end result. Also the importance of monitors for the camera operators so they are accountable for precise framing, not vaguely in the direction of. This along with planned production, so a 'story' is told of the game for the spectator to follow, not just strings of footage... and the need to include commentary, to aid spectators understanding of the story before them, were all accepted as 'the key things that have been missing to date'... and so the research proved itself helpful a second time.

Although encouraged that the research seemed testable and beneficial on two counts relating to Underwater Hockey possible benefits, it still needed to move itself into some form of actual development and therefore perhaps subsequent fruition of the research into 'product' ie filming and promoting the underwater game, to an above water TV audience... and so, again rashioning the diet of peanut butter sandwiches (such was the budget...ie somewhat limited!), it has endevoured to do so to date, with any little fruits just starting to emerge, now based through this site: 'www seethegame info'
On the subject of budget, the project has coined a new phrase... 'Slipon Budget'... it would have been a 'Shoestring Budget', but I could not afford the laces.


The Underwater Hockey Bit:
1996/7. Shove yer face underwater for the first time in a game of Underwater Hockey and it is crazy! Crazy as in good, as in wish could be on bottom at the right time so still have a bit of breath to go somewhere or do something constructive with the puck... for the good of the team.
Twice a week, a round trip of 80 miles would be undertaken to get to the pool. Full of superb quality range of players, a steep learning curve was on offer and sure enough, fairly soon, the skills developed to a level where a 'fair participation' for the team could be had... and what a great buzz.
Some of the team moves and team play made for a great spectacle, but you had to have your head below the surface to see anything of these dynamic 'doings'.  Underwater Hockey is a spectator sport... It is just not possible to spectate it without being in the water.

The Underwater Science Bit:
University beckoned in 2000 to study BScHonsUnderwaterScience. The content of this study program, although interesting, was secondary to the importance of the Honours project... mainly because this was the self invented bit. As the game of Underwater Hockey had been experienced for several years now as a player and, as always looking for interesting concepts, it was decided the underwater dynamics of the game would make a great Honours part to the degree.  Concepts were pondered, such as:
*Locomotion throughout a fluid medium
*Hydrodynamic enduced pressure effects on the human body
*Optical passive monitoring of dynamic events through a refractive index differential... sort of stuff.

No matter how scientific the titles (and the fact that players may not (yet) be 'willingly' experimented on for the sake of science), the end result was seeming to probably resemble a project more suited to a media degree project. So, the ideas and research relating to Underwater Hockey, were just continued as a private interest.  True to form, though, an original angle for a science based honours project was finally invented:
*filming the invisible by columating photons, bending the influenced incident light-rays to a set distance focal point which has been calculated and precisely gated, then filming any excess and diminished quantities as the end resulting image... as you do.
The end result being applied in order to see the otherwise invisible plumes of water that a little Common Mussel is pumping away at most of its submerged day.

The underwater science study relating to the game situation, came in handy on the study of optics underwater and the use of such gadgetry as the remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) as visual monitoring platforms, learning both the pros and cons.

The Media Bit:
Within the second year of university, a self styled media production course was being studied in parallel and as part time interest. The main self-set assignments were the study of scientific filming, photo journalism and sport filming. This last bit was trying to resolved why the game of Underwater Hockey was not already being shown on TV... and how it may be.

Methods of filming sport was looked at and it quickly became apparent that 'sports' have individual ranges of dynamics:
*'tight packs', such as horse races and lane swimmers, where the camera tracks the pack, but the individuals, although all moving stay together... UnderwaterHockey would shake the camera tracking (and the TV spectators) to pieces as it changes direction suddenly and continuosly.
*'loose packs', such as motor racing, where although at first are altogether, after a while spread out around a circuit. Cameras here are set up pre planned to cover approach and receed all around the circuit, plus with mod tech stuff, the cars have 'dynamic cams' on them.  Although these dynamic cams are great shots they never show the 'event' itself... so are extra parts of it. All cams are set on stable platforms and move from one to the next giving a good flow (the spectator therefore gets a smooth flow of logical and continuous information).
*'dynamic packs', such as football, rugby, icehockey, cricket and most other arena based team game sports, have and stable platform tilt and pan capable cameras (as the main one). This sweeps the overall play and keeps the 'ball' around the center of view, following smoothly (allowing the spectator to follow as if sitting still and moving head from left to right smoothly... very comfortable). Secondary cameras (say for close up for corner kicks etc) and dynamic cameras (say for 'in the cricket stump' unusual view) add effect but opperate as inserts to the main camera setup.

It was noticed that most Underwater Hockey video was hand held (uncomfortable 'seasick' for the spectator). It was not continuous, ie didn't show the complete and continuous ebb and flow of the game (didn't show the game story to a spectator). It also did not have commentary to it regarding a game.  There are lots of quick media clips with the puck having something done to it, which does show an interesting 'thing' going on underwater, but never really to draw the spectator into the 'buzz' of the complete game atmospherics.

It's therfore not just collecting footage when possible.... It has to be presented as a seated spectator would like to watch it (smooth and comfortable) ie from a stable camera platform. It has to be a story... ie a game from start to finish, with commentary. If what was seen to be missing could be arranged with what was deemed a worthy structured set-up, then it seemed feasable that the game of Underwater Hockey could be recorded as a complete sport TV spectator event... This would catch on... surely.

If you've made it to here, then special admiration goes out to you, as this is the heavy page! Not many are fussed about the 'behind the scenes' accountabilities and reasoning, but it was deemed appropriate to place a little of the 'foundation elements' to the project, for those who seek a little of the key information. Thanks for your time.

.... and so to work.

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This website has been written for those who may become interested with the game of Underwater Hockey.
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