HOCKEY: Dubai underwater hockey players gear up for tournament in bid to grow niche sport

At the bottom of a swimming pool in Dubai, players in masks, snorkels and fins, dart across the tiles, pushing a puck with short sticks while surfacing every few seconds for air.

The sport is underwater hockey, a fast-growing niche activity in the United Arab Emirates that combines swimming, breath-holding and teamwork.

Originally developed in Britain in the 1950s, underwater hockey has evolved into an international sport played in several countries.

In the UAE, the game has grown from a small group of enthusiasts into a community of nearly 100 players representing a wide range of nationalities, Philip Bedford, Chairman of the Pirates Underwater Hockey Team Dubai, said.

“This is one of the most intense, physically demanding sports you can get. Mainly because not only do you train like an Olympic athlete, but you hold your breath while you're doing it,” Bedford, who helped establish the sport in the Emirates in 2017, added.

Two of the country's leading clubs, the Pirates Underwater Hockey Team Dubai and the Abu Dhabi Ducks, train regularly and are preparing to send a joint team from the UAE to compete at the 2026 CMAS Asian Championship Underwater Hockey in Indonesia next August.

Unlike many sports, underwater hockey brings together men and women to compete.

Among the players is Alison Cook, a 41-year-old South African business owner based in Dubai, who joined the sport three months ago.

“It's something new. It's something outside of the ordinary. And I see my fitness level going each week, each time I train. So it's just a challenge, and it's a fun challenge at that,” said Cook.

The multicultural nature of the UAE has helped attract players from around the world.

Dubai-Based British underwater hockey player and founder of Abu Dhabi Ducks, Lewis Cocks, described the UAE as ‘a melting pot of just loads of nationalities.’

“Making sure people come and try the sport is the best way to grow the sport," Cocks said.

Production: Abir Al Ahmar/Reuters