Without sufficient risk management, diving can be a dangerous activity. When conducted safely, diving is an integral part of the aquatic experience. Research has shown unsafe diving is one of the more prevalent causes of spinal cord injury (10% of all spinal injury cases, 20% of all quadriplegia cases), particularly in children aged 6 to 15 years. The highest incidence occurs among those aged 10 to 14, followed by the group aged 5 to 9 years. The cost to the Australian economy of spinal cord injuries is estimated at $A674 million annually (as at 2024). This is why developing, implementing, and updating safety protocols for diving at aquatic facilities is so important.

DEFINITIONS

Diver Entry

Entry into water where the upper body (hands, arms, and head followed by the torso and lower limbs) enters first.

Forward Clearance

Is defined as the distance out from the platform from which the diver departs, for which the water should be unobstructed. Obstructions may be permanent, such as pool walls, or temporary, such as pool equipment or other swimmers.

Competetive Dive Start

Is defined as entry into water from the side of the pool (flush or raised) or from a starting block for the purpose of starting a swimming based competition or training for a swimming based competition that may include the following:

• Swimming and related (triathlon, distance swimming) squad training;
• Swimming competition instruction;
• Swimming competitions/meets for swimming clubs, schools and other groups;
• Lifesaving competition

The Plummet

The plummet line is a vertical line extending through the centre of the front edge of the platforms, board, tower or pool edge.

Teaching Diving

Refers to aquatic education programs which are conducted for the purposes of teaching someone how to dive, or how to improve their dive, and may be conducted during the following programs:

• Swimming and water safety instruction
• Swimming and related (triathlon, distance swimming, Lifesaving Sport) squad instruction
• Lifesaving instruction