What is underwater hockey
Have you ever seen a school of sharks fighting over a piece of fish, crawling over each other in a frenzy? 
Now replace the sharks with snorkelers and the piece of fish with a heavy puck, and you’ll get a glimpse of underwater hockey.
Speed, technique, and a long breath. That’s what underwater hockey is all about. This highly intense sport is played on the bottom of a swimming pool between 2 and 4 meters deep by two teams of 10 players. 6 versus 6 with 4 subs.
Each player is equipped with snorkeling gear, including a diving mask, fins, stick, glove (to protect your fingers), cap (to protect your ears), and a specially designed wide snorkel. And no, we do not use compressed air!
You take a deep breath, swim to the bottom of the pool, pass the puck to your teammate, then come back up for air, that’s all….
Players use a short stick to maneuver and shoot a 1.5-kilogram puck along the pool floor. The objective is simple: dive at the right moment, outplay the defense, and send the puck into the opponent’s goal. 
What makes underwater hockey truly unique is its three-dimensional nature. Opponents can come not only from the front or behind, but also from above. Timing is everything. Stay underwater too long, and you’ll run out of air. Imagine being right in front of an open goal, ready to score, only to realize you have to surface for a breath. That extra challenge gives this fast-growing sport a dimension unlike any other competitive game.
Goalies can’t stay down forever. So the back fielders need to take responsibility when the goalie goes up for air. Whenever someone has to breathe, the formation changes to compensate for that. Stay calm. Work on your cardio. Everything’s harder in the water.
Today, around 24 clubs affiliated with the Dutch Underwater Sport Federation (NOB) play underwater hockey recreationally or as part of structured training programs.
Underwater hockey was invented in 1954 by British diver Alan Blake as a way to make winter pool training more enjoyable. Originally called Octopush, the sport later became known worldwide as underwater hockey. Since then, it has grown into a thriving international sport with vibrant national leagues. The Dutch Underwater Sport Federation (NOB) regularly sends national teams to the European and World Championships, held every two years. 
The Netherlands has consistently proven itself on the international stage. Both the men’s and women’s national teams have won multiple European titles. The women’s team became World Champion in New Zealand in 2004, while the 2001 European Championships marked a historic achievement with three gold medals for the Dutch men’s, women’s, and youth teams. 
Underwater hockey is a beautiful and exciting sport. Swimming with fins is great fun, but success requires much more than fitness alone. Technical skill, tactical awareness, and teamwork are essential. When should a player dive to attack or defend? Has a teammate taken enough air to make a decisive play? Every second and every breath count. 
