Underwater orienteering

Underwater Orienteering

Stamp commemorating the 2nd World Championship in Underwater Orienteering held at Neuglobsow, DDR in August 1985
Highest governing body	CMAS
Nicknames	Orienteering
First played	1950s
Characteristics
Contact	no
Team members	yes
Mixed gender	yes
Type	Aquatic
Equipment	diving mask, fins, open circuit scuba set, Compass, distance meter, safety buoy
Venue	sheltered and open water

Underwater orienteering is an underwater sport that uses recreational open circuit scuba diving equipment and consists of a set of individual and team events conducted in both sheltered and open water that test the competitors competency in underwater navigation. The competition is principally concerned with the effectiveness of navigation technique used by competitors to swim an underwater course following a route marked on a map prepared by the competition organisers, a compass and a counter meter to measure the distance covered. The sport was developed in the Soviet Union during the late 1950s and is currently played mainly in Europe. It is known as Orientation Sub in French and as La Orientación Subacuática in Spanish. Historically, the sport has also been known as Technical Disciplines.

Each competitor has the following recreational diving equipment - a diving mask, fins, a diving weighting system, an open circuit scuba set including diving cylinder filled with only breathing air of atmospheric origin and the following instruments - underwater compass and distance counting meter. Each competitor also must tow a buoy to identify his/her position underwater at all times when in the water. Competitors in the Monk Competition (refer below) are permitted to use one buoy between a pair of competitors provided a buddy line is used (i.e. wrist to wrist). An exposure suit (i.e. wetsuit with hood) is required where the water temperature is less than 14 degrees Celsius.

Competitors are not permitted to use underwater search techniques and aids such as rope assisted searches or sonar, or use underwater communication devices.