Watermelon Ball 9″ Green
$24.99
The underwater pool ball game, start to finish
This is the game we get asked about most. It takes one ball, a swimming pool and about four minutes of setup. Below is how we play it, plus the variations that groups invent anyway.
Step one — fill the ball
Screw the hose adapter into the valve and run water until the shell is firm. Then add two or three pumps of air through the same valve. That air pocket is what stops the ball sinking flat to the floor and lets it hover instead.
Test it before anyone starts: drop the ball in and watch. It should sink slowly, pause, and drift back toward the surface over several seconds. If it drops like a stone, let a little water out. If it bobs on top, let a little air out.
Step two — teams and the playing area
Two teams, any number each side. The pool walls are the goals. Deep end to shallow end works better than side to side because it gives the ball room to rise and fall during a pass.
One rule does most of the work: you may not carry the ball above the surface. Everything else — tackling, blocking, how long you may hold it — the group will negotiate within the first two minutes, and it is more fun if they do.
Step three — passing, dribbling and diving
Underwater the ball behaves like a slow football. A push pass travels further than you expect and arrives late, so lead your teammate. Dribbling is really bouncing: push the ball down to the pool floor and it comes back up to your hand.
Diving is where the game gets competitive. Because the ball drifts upward on its own, a defender who dives early can meet it halfway. This is why we recommend swimming goggles for anyone who plans to take it seriously.
Three variations worth trying
Keep-away is the simplest: no goals, one ball, and the team that holds possession for a full minute wins the point. Good for a small pool and for kids who are still learning to dive.
Water polo rules with a sunken ball turns it into a sport rather than a toy. Add a goalkeeper at each wall and the diving gets serious very quickly.
Relay is the quiet one. Players take turns moving the ball the length of the pool underwater, and the fastest team wins. It is the version that works at pool parties where half the guests are not strong swimmers.
What you need for this
Questions on this one
What are some fun games to play underwater in a pool?
Keep-away, sunken water polo and underwater relay are the three that work with a single ball. All three only need a pool, a filled watermelon ball and two teams.
What age group is this best for?
Ages six and up with the junior ball, eight and up with the 9-inch. Teens and adults get the most out of the full-weight version because the diving is harder.
What games can we play with it?
Besides the underwater games, the ball works for surface catch, for pool-floor obstacle courses, and as a diving target weighted to sit on the bottom.
Do we need goggles?
Not for keep-away, yes for anything competitive. Being able to see the ball mid-water changes the game completely.