Underwater Basket Weaving

     In the 1965 off the coast of Nantucket, MA, Samuel Cochrane founded the sport of underwater basket weaving. Allegedly, he was sailing on his boat when his wife in a fit of rage (for his infidelity) hurled a basket that she was weaving towards her unsuspecting husband. The force of the basket knocked Cochrane off the boat. Probably concussed at the time, he decided to make a competition out of it by forcing the neighborhood children play (Samuel and Catherine divorced several months later).

    Although basket weaving is not something new as baskets have been around for years before, only now is it an official sport. While the sport of underwater basket weaving has not received widespread recognition sport, it has developed a solid fan base in the northeastern states, especially Maine. With the treat of drowning and pressure not to weave a poor-looking basket, it is a physically and mentally demanding sport.

     For those who are not familiar with the official rules of underwater basket weaving, here is a brief synopsis. A weaver is to make a basket underwater, the design chosen by the referee ahead of time, without any breathing support instruments. The winner is whoever is able to produce a satisfactory basket in the shortest amount of time. The weaver may surface for air, but the amount of time above water is tripled, and this amount is then added onto the final time as a penalty.

     In recent years, underwater doubles has become popular with two contestants weaving a basket together. The emergence of doubles has allowed underwater basket weaving to become a team sport. Teams in various cities have emerged forming the American Underwater Basket Weaving League (AUBWL). The top teams in recent years are the Bangor Basketeers and the Providence Wickers, who have competed in the finals against each other for the past three years.

     A team consists of one doubles team, a minor weaver, and a major weaver. A minor weaver creates a small basket usually the size of a softball. This kind of competition is faster and very intense to watch. On the contrary, a major weaver makes a larger basket. They need strong lungs because they need the endurance to last the entire competition. As training methods for the sport have improved, so has the regulation for what is considered a “satisfactory” basket. A weaver needs to be really skilled in basketry nowadays to be successful.

     Underwater basket weaving is still not a very popular sport in most parts of America, but it has begun to spread its influence southward over time. It is not a varsity sport in colleges yet, but unofficial clubs have emerged in some of the premier universities in the northeast. Hopefully, the sport will garner publicity and give the weavers some of the respect they deserve for competing in one of the most technical sports to date.  

-Larry McKnight