Dhylan will represent NSW in underwater hockey
There’s a niche sport being played across the country, and from the moment Cammeraygal High School student Dhylan Patel was introduced to underwater hockey, he was hooked. “It’s definitely improved my life,” Dhylan, 16, says. “It’s quite an interesting sport that I really enjoy playing.”
Underwater hockey is a 10-player team sport played in a pool, with six players in the water, and four players sitting out on the sub-bench. Two teams in snorkels, flippers, gloves and caps use a 25-centimetre wooden bat to flick a puck into the opposing team’s goal. The game is played entirely underwater.
“During the game, whenever the puck comes towards the sub-bench, our players try to get out and have a breather,” Dhylan explains. “It’s a very intensive sport. They recommend that you only stay inside the game for three minutes at a time before subbing out and swapping around. It’s fast-paced, you have to stay on your toes.”
Dhylan, who has just started Year 12 studies, was first introduced to the sport three years ago by his friend, Jack, who invited him along to a game. Dhylan is now a member of the Sydney Kings underwater hockey team, and is also part of the NSW squad that will represent the state at the Australian Underwater Hockey National Championships which run from 11 to 19 January on the Gold Coast. Two of his school mates are also part of the state team.
Dhylan was recently awarded a Sporting Champion grant by Warringah MP Zali Steggall, which will go towards the costs of attending the national championship. The teenager says players often have to travel to play in competitions as Sydney has limited flat- bottom pools available to host the game.
Teams compete in a game of underwater hockey
“That’s a big problem for us because we don’t want to play in pools where there’s an incline,” he says. “The game is played at the bottom of the pool and we have a neutrally-buoyant puck that sits on the bottom and is pushed around by the players.”
The year-round sport was first invented by the British Navy in the 1950s to keep divers fit, and is now played across the world. Dhylan enjoys the strategy of the game, along with the fitness it requires. “There’s a lot of planning, because when you’re in the water, it’s hard to see where everyone else is and coordinate with people because you can’t talk well underwater,” he explains. “You have to work with your team to coordinate and get the puck into a goal.”
Training is a combination of swim practice, breath training and analysing game play, and he trains twice a week. Dhylan has recently completed a training camp and is looking forward to competing against the other states with his team at what will be his third nationals – his first playing in the U19 division.
“We’ll be playing against other states and territories, such as SA and the NT,” he says. “That will be good – it will be standard competition – but the stakes will be much higher.”
