Best ever swimming pool games (2015)
GAMES WITH QUOITS OR FLOAT RINGS
Dolphin Challenge
Aim: To put four quoits on the side of the pool. |
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2 players or more. |
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Equipment: 8 quoits. |
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Two players are selected as Dolphins. |
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Eight quoits are thrown anywhere in the pool. |
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On ‘GO!’, the Dolphins, who start together at the one end of the pool, swim underwater and race each other to be the first to get four quoits. |
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The first Dolphin to place four quoits on any side of the pool and yell out ‘Finished!’ is the winner. |
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Another Dolphin is chosen to challenge the winning Dolphin. |
Fishing Basket
Aim: To be the first to throw all the fish in the basket. |
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4 players or more. |
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Equipment: 8 fish (quoits); 1 fishing basket (float ring). |
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Two teams are formed each with a Thrower and a Fetcher. |
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The fishing basket is placed six to ten metres away. |
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The Throwers have four fish each and throw one fish at a time into the basket. |
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Fish can be thrown at any time. |
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If a fish misses the basket, the Fetcher picks it up and swims the fish back to the Thrower for another throw. The Fetcher cannot throw the fish back. |
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Any fish that land in the basket are put on the edge of the pool. |
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The Fetcher must also get and return any fish that land outside the pool. |
Gladiators
Aim: To ‘wrestle’ your opponent into the water. |
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2 players or more. |
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Equipment: Float rings. |
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Two Gladiators are selected. |
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The Gladiators lie across their float rings at opposite ends of the pool. |
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On ‘GO!’ the Gladiators swim towards each other in the middle of the pool and ‘wrestle’ their opponent off the float. |
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Gladiators may use one hand to hold onto their own float. |
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A Gladiator wins if the opponent is either off the float or ‘belly up’ (the opponent is still holding onto the float but is upside down). |
Variation: Several Gladiators can play at once.
Free Willy
Aim: To tag Willy and set Willy free. |
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4 players or more. |
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Equipment: 1 float ring. |
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One player is selected as Willy. |
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Another player is selected as the Guard. |
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All other players are Rescuers. |
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Willy is in one corner of the pool. Willy is in a float ring or hanging onto a float ring. |
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A Guard makes sure that no Rescuer comes to free Willy. |
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Rescuers try to tag Willy to set Willy free. |
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If a Rescuer is tagged by the Guard, the Rescuer goes back to the steps to start again. |
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Whoever frees Willy becomes the next Willy. |
Necklace
Aim: To be the last player on the Necklace. |
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5 players or more. |
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Equipment: 8 quoits. |
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One player is chosen as IT. |
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On the signal ‘GO!’, the player who is IT chases the other players with a quoit. |
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A tagged player holds onto the quoit with the first player who was IT. |
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Both try to tag another without letting go of the quoit. |
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The next player tagged, gets a quoit and joins onto the first two. |
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The Necklace keeps growing until the last player is caught. |
Bear and Salmon
Aim: To catch a Salmon moving upstream. |
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5 players or more. |
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Equipment: 1 less quoit than the number of players. |
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One player is selected as the Bear. |
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All other players are Salmon who stand on a quoit each. There should be one less quoit than the number of Salmon. |
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On ‘GO!’ the Salmon not standing on a quoit moves to a quoit. |
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Each time a Salmon moves to an occupied quoit, the occupant must move to another quoit. |
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The Bear can only catch a Salmon who is not on a quoit. |
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The caught Salmon becomes the new Bear, counts to ten and the game starts again. |
Shark Attack
Aim: To tag all the fish. |
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3 players or more. |
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Equipment: 1 float ring. |
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One player is selected as the Shark. |
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All other players are fish. |
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The Shark is on a float. |
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Fish start anywhere in the pool. |
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Only fish can swim underwater to escape being tagged by the Shark. |
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The Shark can move anywhere to hand tag the fish but cannot leave the float. |
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Tagged fish wait in the Shark’s pool (the steps) until there is only one fish left. |
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The last fish tagged becomes the Shark. |
NB: Smaller sharks can also tag with their feet.