Playing hockey with fins

The underwater version of the game has been called the coolest sport you never heard of, but word is getting around Hong Kong.

The hold-your-breath sport of underwater hockey has gained a worldwide following - and now a Hong Kong team is diving in as the game takes off in Asia.

Invented by British navy divers in the 1950s, the acrobatic six-a-side sport requires participants to chase a heavy plastic puck and hit it into their opponents' net with a short curved stick.

Competitors wear snorkels, fins, ear protectors and gloves, resembling a school of fish as they swarm around the puck, diving and somersaulting to gain possession.

   

Members of the "HK Typhoon" underwater hockey club fight for possession of the puck (top), during their once-a-week team practice session at a 25-meter school pool in Hong Kong. Head coach Nowie Ignacio Cornelia (above left) chat with club founder Henry Chan. AFP

The sport has built up a loyal fan base in Canada, Australia and South Africa and has spread to Asian countries in recent years, including China and Malaysia.

Hong Kong's amateur team has around 25 active players from all walks of life, including teachers, an artist, a pilot and geologist Henry Chan, who founded the club with the moniker "HK Typhoon".

A former competitive swimmer, the 28-year-old Chan learned to play the sport while studying in the United States.

He decided to set up a Facebook page seeking fellow fans on his return to Hong Kong in 2010 as he missed playing what he describes as a "fast-paced and three-dimensional" game.

"I started receiving messages from veterans from all over the world who had transferred to Hong Kong to work. They have a lot of experience in playing, teaching and even competing at the highest level," says Chan.

Chan's Facebook group is followed by nearly 200 people and his fellow Hong Kong players have now formed a competitive team, taking part in their first tournament in May last year.

They finished third out of 11 Chinese cities that participated in the China Cup in Chengdu.

The team's long-term aim is to secure a place in the underwater hockey world cup - but for now they are setting their sights on this year's China Cup in May.

"We are aiming for the first prize and I'm very confident about it," says Chan of the upcoming tournament in Hangzhou.

Like dancing

The Hong Kong team practices once a week at a 25-meter school pool, working to improve the players' power, endurance and lung capacity.

Experienced players swim whole lengths without coming up for air in training, to help when they dive to chase the puck.

But head coach Nowie Ignacio Cornelia, from the Philippines, says the skills do not come easily.

"Being great comes with time. Your muscles have to get used to being underwater," says Cornelia, 37, who is a freelance cinematographer.

"The key ingredient is to be very calm and relaxed," Cornelia adds.

But Chan says it is cooperation that is the key. "There are six (opponents) to defeat before scoring," he says.

"You have to make good use of your teammates and you should really be passing the puck around, take a breath, advance to a better location quicker and receive the puck again."

Out of the pool, the team reviews tactics and analyzes underwater footage, along with visits to the gym.

While there is a hard core of enthusiasts in Hong Kong, Chan says he would like to see more awareness of the game as well as technology and pools designed to help spectators engage fully with the sport.

Team member Flora Tang, 31, says that while water polo and scuba diving are well-known in the city, underwater hockey is still a mystery for most.

For her, it is a welcome escape from her day job in sales.

She says: "I enjoy the underwater feeling. It feels like you're dancing."

Agence France-Presse