Photo: Michael Dalder/Reuters
Like its name implies, underwater ice hockey is played on ice ... but with a little twist (technically, a 180° twist). Photographer Michael Dalder was on assignment to cover the 2013 Underwater Ice Hockey Championships and took amazing photos:
Underwater Ice hockey is not played on top of the ice like ice hockey is usually played but underneath it. That’s where diving comes into the game because the underwater ice hockey players are in fact apnea divers who want to give their sports an additional sportive kick. [...]
After checking the equipment we jumped into the water and went down. There I could see the field of play. It was underneath the ice approximately 3 x 6 meters square; each side fronted by a goal. The puck was 10 inches wide and made of Styrofoam so it didn’t sink but floated right under the ice.
The teams consisted of two players (men and women) who took turns with the hockey stick trying to score. Each time they succeeded in scoring the apnea divers came back to the surface to breathe. In total, the game lasted three periods with a ten minute break.
And yes, the water is obviously freezing cold (Michael noted that it was 35 °F). Read more over at Michael's blog post, preferably from your toasty office or home: Link - via NBC News Photo Blog