The history of water polo is based in England around the mid 1800′s. Stories say the Englishmen used to play the sport in pools, lakes and rivers throughout the countryside. The sport was something of a brutal version of water rugby. It spread through villages at town fairs in England and Scotland as it was an added attraction to the swimming events of these times. The sport took an abundance of strength and swimming prowess to compete in during these times. Water Polo initially kept score by having the first player to cross over to the other teams side and place the ball at the end of there pool. Yet, what made that difficult was the goalie was standing on shore and would come running after the ball carrier then a fight would ensue. At this time in water polo history they did not play in clean chlorinated pools. They played wherever they could which included lakes and rivers throughout Europe. Often times they competed in dark murky water filled with trees and debris that made the game rather difficult and it wasn’t until the late 1800′s that they determined they should move the game indoors. The games shifted from lakefront fistfights to a much more eloquent display of athleticism. The adoption of a goal and the evolution of swimming shifted the focus to a much more pleasant game. Speed and teamwork became much more important than rage. The ball changed as well going from a much smaller ball to something very similar in shape to a soccer ball that was waterproof. The US began to adopt water polo around 1888 and it was very much the old brutal rugby format. Despite its rough exterior the sport continued to grow throughout the US and was actually one of the first team sports to be incorporated in the first Olympics. Shortly after the 1904 Olympics, FINA the international body for water sports adopted the Scottish rules for international competitions. However, the US continued to insist upon playing in these brutal conditions where athletes were continuously hurt. It wasn’t until 1914 that the AAU imposed upon all US water polo competitions the much safer international standards thus significantly changing water polo history. Water polo has continued to see positive growth throughout the US, Europe and Australia. The sport is highlighted every four years at the summer Olympics and is generally dominated by European countries. The sport can be found at the amateur level through high schools and colleges across the US and is always played in some form throughout backyards during summer…So goes the history of water polo.

How To Choose Diving Regulators The terminology is vast, the combinations are endless – here I will go through the basics, then give some examples of the different combinations from Scubapro.

Balanced/Unbalanced/Overbalanced Diving Regulators These diving terms can be confusing until you know what they mean – unbalanced diving regulators perform worse as the scuba diving tank empties, and should be avoided in all but the most basic diving.

A balanced diving regulator will deliver the same amount of air at all pressures and depths – balanced diving regulators are usually mid-range and are most common.

An overbalanced diving regulator is one which makes breathing easier as you go deeper – these are usually towards the top of the range.

Yoke/A-Clamp vs DIN These are the two different types of fitting for attaching your scuba diving regulator to your tank. Your decision will probably be based on where you are diving – in the UK the A-Clamp fitting is most popular, whereas abroad the DIN fitting is more prevalant.

Technically speaking, the DIN fitting is better as you will need this if you want to use a 300bar tank – A-Clamp is only good for 232bar, although this is by far the most common.

If you buy an A-Clamp you can buy a DIN kit (around £25-35) to convert it though, and there are also A-Clamp adapters for DIN regs for a similar price.

Coldwater safe diving regulators When diving in the UK, especially at inland dive sites you need a regulator that can still perform. The problem is that when the air goes from high pressure in your dive tank to low pressure you need to breathe, it cools a lot – sometimes leading to freeflow when in very cold water.

There are two main ways the diving regulator companies have come up with – one is to seal the first stage completely, which some manufacturers do (Apeks for example) while others have more sophisticated systems – Scubapro’s TIS (Thermal Insulating System) for example is particularly good. If you are diving in cold waters (around 5 degree celcius or lower) then you really need to choose a good cold water regulator.

Piston vs Diaphragm Diving Regulators A piston based regulator is very simple, and provide better performance at depth. Piston diving regulators cannot be overbalanced. Diaphragm diving regulators are more complex, but are less likely to have mechanical problems as the internal parts aren’t exposed to the water, which can be the case with piston based regulators.

When buying a new diving regulator, don’t worry about it – both provide perfectly fine performance for almost all recreational scuba diving.

Nitrox Ready Regulators Most scuba diving regulators are suitable for up to 40% nitrox without any modification. If you require a higher o2 content then you need to go for a nitrox diving regulator – these are usually green to distinguish them and have been properly cleaned. One other consideration is that you can’t use Nitrox with titanium diving regulators.

Real World Examples – Scubapro First Stages Scubapro MK25 – A great first stage, this is a piston based, overbalanced scuba diving regulator with Scubapro’s patented TIS system making it suitable for cold water.

Scubapro MK11 – A good mid-range reg, this one is an overbalanced diaphragm model, also with the TIS for cold water diving.

Scubapro MK2 – A very simple first stage, it is piston based and very compact. It comes with the TIS for cold water diving, but is unbalanced so only really suitable for first time or very occasional divers as a primary regulator. This is a very popular first stage for pony bottles because it is cheap, and you don’t need a balanced reg for a pony bottle.

Real World Examples – Scubapro Second Stages Scubapro X650 – Top of the range, this Scubapro second stage gives you a dive/pre-dive switch, a VIVA control system to set air flow levels, some small tweaks to make it easier to breathe – and it looks really impressive! This is generally coupled with the MK25 first stage.

Scubapro R395 – This is the workhorse of the Scubapro range, it is great paired with any first stage, and is very (very) reliable and a popular choice for scuba diving school kits. It comes with a dive/pre-dive switch to stop free flow when you hit the water – however cold it may be!