New year, new you: could 2023 be the year to try underwater hockey?

I’m standing on the water’s edge at Forest Hill Pools. I’m shivering but hoping I’m wearing an expression resembling a brave face beneath the various pieces of paraphernalia I’ve been handed: snorkels, fins, a hard-eared swimming cap, rubber glove, hockey stick and, to my surprise, a thick pair of socks. Paranoid I’m looking increasingly ridiculous, I try to remember I’m just doing my job, in this case reporting on an unusual, under-the-radar local sports club, writes Holly O’Mahony…

The club in question is Lewisham Underwater Hockey, which has been running for 10 years, since the squad’s founding players Alan Quarterman, 76, and James Bayley, 58, set it up in 2012. Both former scuba diving instructors, Alan has been playing since 1981 and James discovered an interest when he was looking for a sport to play with his daughter, who was training for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at the time. They meet once a week on Friday evenings, playing a couple of games then going to a local Chinese restaurant for a catch up.
An underwater hockey match typically lasts 30 minutes, during which the two teams (of around six players) go snorkel-to-snorkel to score the most goals. A heavily weighted puck sits on the pool floor, with the players using a small stick to guide it towards their opponent’s goal. What sets the sport apart from most water sports is that players have to hold their breath while engaging with the action underwater, resurfacing now and then for air.
I’d never heard of underwater hockey before coming across the Lewisham club on Instagram, but it’s not as niche a sport as I’d imagined. Originating in the United Kingdom in 1954, today it’s popular the world over, with France, New Zealand and Australia regular winners of the annual World Cup.
Despite the fact many of Lewisham’s team members have been in the game for years, they’re very welcoming of new players of all abilities, offering a free trial session/lesson by way of encouragement.
That’s how I’ve ended up here, with James giving me a quick snorkelling lesson before Alan teaches me the basics of underwater hockey. Both have taken time out from their own game to indoctrinate me, as they do whenever newbies turn up keen to have a go.
Feeling more like a buoyant sea slug than, say, a graceful dolphin, I practise moving through the water propelled by my fins, turning in circles and taking some deep dives, before eventually attempting to swim along the pool floor, stick in hand, to hit the puck. It takes a few tries before I even get close.
Elsewhere in the pool, the game is in full swing, and once my lesson is over, I take advantage of my goggles to watch the action under water. From my front-row seat, I marvel at the speed and competence of the players, their yellow fins gliding and bodies twirling. It’s as peaceful as watching tropical fish in a tank – that is, until I’m called up.
James invites me to kick off the next point of the match, for which I need to swim to the deepest point in the pool, dive underwater and kick things off by hitting the puck. I try to say no, not sure my 45-minute lesson has qualified me for the task, but with half my head under water my words come out all bubbly, and they’re looking at me expectantly. So I give it a go, and, to everyone’s surprise (well, mine at least) I manage to reach the pool floor and thwack the puck before running out of breath. It’s a small achievement – nothing on what the underwater hockey players around me manage with each game – but I leave the pool feeling pretty proud of myself for trying something new.
It was an all-male team playing on the night of my visit, but Alan and James assure me they have regular female players too. After the game, I speak to Yu, who’s still relatively new to underwater hockey, having joined just four months ago. He comes with a friend and admits he took some convincing to get involved, but now he’s hooked. It’s a steep learning curve, he tells me, what with all the equipment and tricks to get used to, but it’s a fun, social way to spend a Friday night – and a decent alternative to going out drinking.
What’s striking about Lewisham Underwater Hockey Club is the real sense of community here. There’s a gentle openness in how they interact, with Alan playing Dad and reminding the younger players to put away their equipment tidily after the game, and sharing around a chocolate bar as a ‘well done’ after the match. It’s also rare to see a sport played by a team varying so broadly in age: the club welcomes kids aged 12 and up if they’re accompanied by an adult, while the oldest player is in his late 70s.
I’m not sure I’ve got much skill as an underwater hockey player, but I’d happily join another session to soak up more of that camaraderie.
Lewisham Underwater Hockey Club meets at Forest Hill Pools,
Dartmouth Road, London SE23 3HZ. Fridays, 7:45pm – 9pm.
Admission: £8/£4 children.
www.luwhc.org.uk

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