Underwater hockey is unlike anything you’ve seen before – a sport where the competition is fierce, the community is tight-knit, and anyone can play.  We explore that ins and outs of a sport that’s quietly growing, and it full of freedom and inclusivity.

Take hockey, add a mask, a snorkel and some fins and then go underwater – it’s that simple. Played with six players on each team in a 25m x 15m pool around two-three meters deep, the aim is to take the puck and score in the opposing gulley (scoring area). 

But for thousands of people across the world, the unique sport of underwater hockey is much more than that. It’s a sport about the smaller things, like the first time you play in the deep end rather than the shallow pool. That feeling when somebody passes you the puck for the first time as if to say, ‘I trust you’. The tiny, little victories like scoring a goal against good opposition, or when you do a good dummy on your coach. 

It’s the joy you feel when you get the unexpected call to tell you you’ve made the national team, or that great matter of frustration when your kids are finally good enough to get past you. It’s about people like Esme Allford, who originally thought underwater hockey was a joke and had ‘no clue’ what was going on when she first started, but now competes nationally with the best players in the country. People like Sophie McNamara, fighting to regain her spot in the GB team for the 2026 world championships. Younger players, like Daniel and Olivia, both 15, who not only train with team GB, but actively encourage others to get involved with the sport. 

When Olivia was just ten years old, she discovered underwater hockey through one of her dad’s friends. Five years on, she now competes nationally whilst participating in GB training. She describes her training as “an amazing experience playing people at such a high level”. But Olivia’s favourite moment is not any of her achievements as a player, but as a teacher of the sport:

 “We were in Greece one summer and I had a puck and a couple of sticks with me that I left at the side of the pool. 

“This group of people were questioning what they were and so I showed them how to play. We swam off the wall and I pushed it straight through them. They were like ‘what on earth is this?’” 

“What on earth is this?” 

A question not too uncommon when referring to underwater hockey. As a matter of fact, peoples unknowingness of the sport is something that brings it’s community together. The ability to educate newcomers adds to underwater hockey’s appeal and is something the players enjoy. Kevin Hyman, treasurer and coach at Guildford Underwater Hockey Club (GUWH) and player for over 30 years says: “A lot of our juniors use the sport for their Duke of Edinburgh programmes and are finding it really useful for getting into university. 

“If you go into an interview and say, ‘I support Man United’ you’ve probably just made three enemies, but if you say ‘oh I do underwater hockey’ you suddenly have three very curious people who know less than you do.” 

Sophie McNamara, 20, says, ‘it’s always great to tell people I do underwater hockey and them having absolutely no idea what I’m on about!” 

Now a decade into the sport, Sophie competes at an elite level, having represented Great Britain at the World Championships as well as competing nationally. Playing at a high level, Sophie is familiar with the competitive side of the sport: “Playing at the national level is great and there are some incredible players to play against, but playing internationally, I think, seeing how the different countries play, what their tactics are, how they think; I find it really interesting.” 

Another player hoping to make the team for 2026 is Ollie, 17, who missed out at the last GB under 19s selection: “It’s a crazy level some of the guys play at. 

“I didn’t get selected because I hadn’t been playing with them long enough and I probably wasn’t good enough for the team.” 

Ollie remains determined to make the team and whilst he is only 17, he is now trailing for the GB U24s, as he will be above the maximum age for U19s by the time the 2026 World Championships arrive. 

“It’s a very big step up and you look at some of the tactics and some of the training regimes that have been placed and it is very difficult. But when you actually get into doing it, you start to build up some of the cardio and muscle you need. 

“It makes it so much more fun.” 

Age remains no barrier to the competitive side of underwater hockey, as 15 year old Daniel has already won a medal for his club, Guildford UWH. Daniel played in division four for the Guildford first team where they came second in his first ever tournament, securing a medal. Daniel said: “That was an absolutely stellar moment for me. 

“You don’t usually get medals at tournaments because the level is so high, but when I got that medal around my neck and seeing the players I’ve been playing with every week – it was an amazing feeling.” 

Whether it’s playing for your team at nationals, or representing your country at international level, underwater hockey has a special way of uniting people, regardless of age, gender or background. Although competitions include gender and age groups, casual and practice sessions often feature players of all abilities, fitness levels, ages and genders. Coach Kevin Hyman speaks to the inclusivity of the sport: “as long as you are above the age of eight and feel comfortable in the water you can come and play. 

“Because it’s underwater, you can be overweight and still play quite easily. You don’t have to be a super-strong athlete. We play boys versus girls, juniors versus adults. The gender doesn’t really matter either.” 

Esme Allford, 19, has played for over three years, and describes her first time competing at women’s nationals: “It was a really good environment to play in and it was very supportive. 

“We were going in there to have fun, play as a team and to do as well as we can.” 

Olivia, 15, who now trains with the GB team, added: “we all work together and no matter how badly or well you play, everyone has fun.” 

Like any sport, underwater hockey has its own issues to tackle. One challenge underwater hockey faces in terms of its growth is how difficult it can be to watch. Kevin says: “For good or for bad, it’s not a spectator sport. 

“People sitting on the side; all they can see are loads of fins flying up in the air and lots of splashing. You can’t see from there what’s actually happening. 

“People play because they like getting involved and doing things themselves, rather than watching somebody else do it.” 

But for many this adds to the experience of playing and forms a more intimate, tight-knit nature to the sport. Kevin adds: “It’s quite a compact sport – everybody knows everybody. 

“You can go anywhere in the world, and you’ll meet somebody who knows somebody you know, which gives it a very nice personal element.”

As much was true for Esme Allford when she was on holiday in Florida. Noticing a sign for underwater hockey at a local leisure centre, she signed up, only to find out that she would be playing with the American underwater hockey team. But this wasn’t the only surprise that day. 

Esme said: “one of the guys there had a Great Britain Underwater Hockey hat and I said to him ‘you play for America, why do you have that?’ 

“He said when you play international competitions, everybody swaps hats, and he swapped hats with a GB player called Lorna, who happens to play at our club. And she’s got the America Underwater Hockey hat. 

“I was pretty fond of that.” 

Underwater hockey isn’t a spectator sport. Underwater hockey isn’t a commercial sport. Underwater hockey isn’t even a sport that most people have heard of before. But for everything that it is not, underwater hockey is packed with people full of pride, passion and ambition. For almost every player, it’s more than just a sport – it’s an identity. A way to meet new people, bond together, and to compete in a friendly environment. It’s about forgetting all your real-life problems and immersing yourself in the game you love. Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, underwater hockey has a place for you. On the surface, it’s quite straightforward, but when you delve deeper, it’s something quite special. A mask, a snorkel and some fins – it’s that simple.