Shoot targets underwater in La Clusaz!

This week, this photo appeared on my Facebook feed:
Underwater shooting in La Clusaz - Le Francophoney blog
Err, what? Is this an actual thing? Underwater shooting in a swimming pool apparently is a thing in La Clusaz and Europe in general.

A bit of research reveals that this sport was borne in the eighties in France, where it’s known as tir sur cible subaquatique. Competitors must be eighteen, so it looks like La Clusaz are hoping to introduce this…erm….’sport’…to future champions. They’re allowed to use a diving mask, fins, snorkel, speargun, diving weights and a wetsuit.

As someone who struggles to remember not to breathe with a snorkel when under water, I can’t imagine how much coordination this activity requires. There’s the holding the breath bit of course, then the staying relatively still in order to aim, actually aiming (with just one hand), and then pulling the trigger without disrupting all that breath-holding, keeping still and aiming.

If nothing else, participants will be able to catch their dinner from Lake Annecy whenever they please.

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I'm a technical author, journalist and writer from Australia who has been living in Europe since 2000 and exploring the world from there. My passions are writing, snow sports and travel.