by Kimberly Stevens

Created on: April 11, 2009

In general, most people's idea of diving is some reckless jumping and showing off in front of family and friends. This action can often lead to serious injury. The most common of these injuries is diving into shallow waters and hitting the head on the bottom. This can happen when diving off a bridge, off a pier, into a pool or even from standing on the beach and diving into the waves. Novices who have had no prior dive training should always take the time to consider the action before carrying it out. There are general safety tips that should be considered before diving.

General safety tips include being aware of the depth of the water. Obviously, if the board or platform is higher up then the water should be deeper. Also, you should keep your hands and arms extended during the dive. This not only helps the diver to resurface quicker, it also protects the head from hitting the bottom of the pool or area where the dive is to take place.

Competitive diving is an acrobatic sport that is remarkably safe. It is often associated with water sports but most compares to gymnastics. The dive is judged not on speed but, rather, form and execution. Competitive diving is very well regulated and supervised at all times. However, some instances can occur and typical injuries are the result of mistiming in the jump maneuver. It is during this situation that a diver may come in contact with the springboard or platform. In extreme cases, the water impact from an ill timed dive can result in a neck or spinal injury. Well trained divers do many exercises to strengthen the neck, back, and shoulder areas.

Some dive training institutions require that a dive student do strength training and land training exercises for up to a year before they are allowed to climb up to the springboard. This ensures that a diver has the strength that is required to execute a dive that is far enough from the platform and that their form allows for good timing upon water entry.

Diving, whether competitively or in your own backyard, is a beautiful sport. You should always remember when involved in any water sport that respect for the water is an extreme must. They key to a good dive is simply, control. You should be able to "see" the entire dive, from the jump all the way to the resurface, in your head before you ever walk to the edge of the platform. Diving can be a lot of fun and, as with any other sport, should be taken cautiously so as to prevent serious injury.

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