It’s a simple game of hockey. A puck sits in the middle. The first team to gain possession can start advancing play, and teams pass a puck in order to score a goal on the opposing side.
The catch? It’s done entirely underwater.
“It almost feels like you’re flying through an environment that you don’t normally get to do,” said Matt Crocken. “You feel weightless. You feel free.”
Crocken, the head coach of the Baltimore Bottom Feeders, started playing underwater hockey over 20 years ago. After playing in the Washington, D.C. area, this year he decided to bring the sport closer to him.
“The distance to Rockville is really challenging in D.C. traffic, and life got busy,” he said. “I was thinking about it, and like, why don’t we just start a club here? Let’s see what that would take. And so here we are.”
The club holds practices at Goucher College’s Aquatics Center. The last practice of the summer session is this Sunday, July 27, at 6 p.m. He said a fall session will start in late September. All the information you need before attending a practice is on their website.
It’s a sport you have to see for yourself. Players use water polo caps, snorkel gear, a special glove, a small hockey stick and a puck. The first practice, with all of the gear provided, is free. Returners pay $10 to help cover the pool rental.
“Come out and try it. Come out and see what it’s about,” Crocken said.
Atlantis Sports helped Crocken start Baltimore’s first underwater hockey team.
The nonprofit began with a focus on developing underwater cameras and a time/score display system to make underwater hockey more visible and engaging. Since then, it has expanded its efforts to support the sport in other areas — from promotion and community outreach to helping new clubs and players get started.
“As long as you can swim, you will love this sport,” said Angie Larson, Atlantis Sports’ marketing & outreach coordinator. “We really try to make this a family-friendly, inclusive sport. We don’t want money to be an issue for people.”
She estimates there are a bit more than 50 underwater hockey clubs across the country now, but that number is growing fast.
@baltfishbowl Baltimore's first underwater hockey club started earlier this year. Head coach Matt Crocken started playing over 20 years ago, but he wanted a club closer to home so he founded the Baltimore Bottom Feeders. Read more — including how to get involved — at baltimorefishbowl.com Video and reporting by Eddy Calkins/Baltimore Fishbowl * * * #Baltimore #Maryland #baltimoremd #Baltimoremaryland #Baltimoresports #sport #sports #swimming #swim #pool #baltimorebottomfeeders #underwaterhockey #hockey #hockeytiktoks #hockeyplayer #athlete #localnews #baltimorefishbowl #localjournalism #baltimorejournalism #baltimorenews ♬ original sound – baltfishbowl
Atlantis Sports provides each new club with brand new starter gear, including masks, snorkels, caps, sticks, gloves, fins, pucks, and more. To ease the start-up process, the nonprofit assists with pool rental costs for the first year, while encouraging clubs to grow toward independence.
Larson, who used to play water polo, plays underwater hockey herself.
“On a personal level, it’s changed my entire life,” she said.
Underwater hockey’s low-impact style is easier on athletes’ bodies compared to other sports, making it easier for people of all ages to play.
Both Larson and Crocken agree that one of the hardest parts about starting an underwater hockey club is finding a pool to host them. Atlantis Sports helped Crocken find Goucher College and set up an insurance policy through the Underwater Society of America (USOA), the national governing body for underwater sports in the United States.
Promotion is another hard component of starting a club. Crocken said some asked if the club was a scam and don’t believe he’s serious about it.
“The number one way people find out about this sport right now is word of mouth,” Larson said. “[Crocken’s] definitely going above and beyond as far as like a coach goes a lot of times. People will just do the coaching, and they forget about the promotion part of it.”
She said the niche sport of underwater hockey “has potential” in Baltimore, and Crocken makes it easy to get involved. You only need to be comfortable in the water, over 18 years old (due to the insurance policy) and have the excitement to learn to play.
“Some people are hesitant about the underwater thing, but then once they realize … how the gear works, how the plays work, and what’s going on, they get used to it quickly,” Crocken said.
