WHAT'S WITH DEL AQUA?

Maci Gian

Team Hydra is quite the distinct Super League team, not only for their stadium location, but for their players that thrive in & around the ocean as well. While many of their fans adore their performance out on the field, their support doesn’t start and end in the Floating Stadium. In fact, their fanbase stretches from coast to coast!

If you’ve spoken to any Hydra fan, watched an interview with the team, or spoke with a Hydra player yourself, they make it clear that their ’radical’ way of speaking and their constant talk about how ’gnarly’ surfing is isn’t an act. This team’s love of surfing truly goes as deep as the ocean itself, to the point some of the players most iconic moves have been directly inspired by their favorite surfboard tricks: Shane Fin’s ‘Tail Slide’ and Liquido’s ’Alley-oop’ have helped their teammates turn the tides of so many losing games into victories.

Their coach, Del Aqua, is also acutely aware of how much surfing means to his men, and has gone the extra mile to implement multiple aspects of the sport into his soccer training. From machines made to imitate the harsh ocean tides to help the players brace themselves for potential collisions, to wave-simulators added beneath the stadium’s practice field to test their balance, Del Aqua has gone above and beyond to make each practice session as engaging as it is challenging.

So with all this excitement around ‘catching sick waves’, showing off cool surfing tricks, and putting in all this work to intertwine the two sports together…. Why don’t we ever see Del Aqua surf?

It’s not just the fact he doesn’t surf, but he seems to keep his distance from the shores entirely.

There’s been countless reports of Hydra’s bus driving past a beach shore, halting, then having it’s doors kicked wide open, followed by all the team’s players racing out to the ocean with their boards held close, wide smiles on their faces, yet Del Aqua rather never leaves the bus, or lingers around the very edge of the beach. According to many eye witnesses, the furthest he ever get is to the lifeguard towers.

His appearance doesn’t fit the ’vibe’ of Hydra either. Many of Hydra’s players have their hair kept short and sharp, or down and completely unkempt due to the constant surfing, while Del Aqua’s is long, smooth, and flowing. Hydra’s color scheme is blue and white, while Del Aqua’s is dark grays, with the only bits of blue on him being the dusty navy scarf tucked into his suit, and a clip of Hydra’s logo attached to his collar. Hydra’s players love to shout, throw up shaka signs after they’ve scored a goal, and dive head first into action, while Del Aqua stands to the side with his arms behind his back, observing.

While there is such a thing as maintaining a professional image, it’s hard to ignore just how different Del Aqua is to the team he coaches. If a picture of him were to be shown to any non-Super League fans, most wouldn’t assume he coached the rambunctious, sun & surf loving team, so that begs the question…

Was Del Aqua meant to be Hydra’s coach? Was he even meant to be a coach at all? Or is he in a similar situation as Coach Black? Is there a chance he’s much more interested in marine biology, underwater exploration, or technological advancements that could be made in the ocean, and saw Hydra’s theme as an excuse to further pursue this fascination of his?

Creating something as complex as the Floating Stadium that’s able to lower itself to the ocean floor when a storm approaches, that can withstand the pressure of so much water, that’s able to handle the constant passing interactions of hundreds of sea creatures is nothing to scoff at! There is so much to keep in mind when it comes to locating and building your stadium in the middle of the ocean of all places, yet Del Aqua did so, and keeps adding more and more modifications.

He loves to work with & in the ocean, yet avoids it at beaches.

He’s surrounded by lively & vibrant players, yet is so stiff and formal.

Does he enjoy the team he coaches? Or does he enjoy where he coaches more?