SD4 - Recreational Use of Diving Towers and Springboards
| Issue Date | Effective Date | Version |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 |
Recreational Use of Diving Towers and Springboards (Current ref: SV26)
Recreational diving from towers and springboards should only be permitted provided the following is in place:
Risk Assessment
The owner or operator of the aquatic facility should complete a Dive Tower and Springboard Risk Assessment (or incorporate into a broader diving or aquatic risk assessment).
The risk assessment should consider:
- Whether the facility has the appropriate water depths for use of diving towers and springboards
- What qualifications, training, professional licensing and experience the lifeguards, coaches, officials and instructors need to conduct/supervise the use of springboards and dive towers safely
- Whether lifeguards, coaches, officials and instructors are medically fit and healthy to supervise and/or instruct diving from towers and springboards, including retrieval from the deepest section of the pool.
- Ensuring dive towers and springboards are supervised at all times they are in use, and that supervisors have no other supervision responsibility for other areas or pools at that time.
- Ensuring that access to dive towers and springboards are restricted when not open for use.
- The availability of backup supervision and trained personnel in aquatic spinal injury management.
- The availability of suitable aquatic spinal injury management rescue equipment
- The availability of appropriate signage which encourages safe use of diving towers and springboards.
- Procedures to minimise the risk of a collision, such as prohibiting entry into the dive pool from any other point that the springboard or tower, entry only after previous user has exited the pool.
- Restrictions for recreational users vs competitive or training users, such as recreational users being restricted when diving to a maximum height of 3 metres on either springboards or platforms, when entering the water feet first (i.e. jumping or bombing) to a maximum height of 5 metres and ensuring that recreational users can only use one board or platform in any one session.
- The maintenance and inspection schedule for the springboards and dive towers, including daily pre-opening inspections and isolation, signposting and reporting procedures for defective or faulty equipment.
- Ensuring that children are not able to access springboards or dive towers unsupervised and that railings prevent the possibility of falls from height.
Height Restrictions
- Maximum Height for Recreational Diving: 3m for springboards/platforms; 5m for feet-first entries.
Water Depth and Forward Clearance Requirements
Features | Minimum Water Depth | Optimum Water Depth | Minimum Forward Clearance at Minimum Depth |
|---|---|---|---|
1m Springboard | 3.4m | 3.5m | 5.0m, then additional 4.0m to any wall ahead |
3m Springboard | 3.7m | 3.8m | 6.0m, then additional 4.25m to any wall ahead |
1m Platform | 3.2m | 3.3m | 4.5m, then additional 3.5m to any wall ahead |
3m Platform | 3.5m | 3.6m | 5.5m, then additional 4.0m to any wall ahead |
5m Platform | 3.7m | 3.8m | 6.0m, then additional 4.25m to any wall ahead |
7.5m Platform | 4.1m | 4.5m | 8.0m, then additional 3.0m to any wall ahead |
10m Platform | 4.5m | 5m | 11.0m, then additional 2.5m to any wall ahead |
Above 10m Platform | Platforms above 10m are not recommended for use in Aquatic Facilities | ||
Supervision
- Dedicated Lifeguards: Must supervise diving areas exclusively, equipped for deep water rescues (e.g. fins available).
- Focused Supervision: Lifeguards should be solely dedicated to overseeing the diving area and not distracted by other pool activities.
Equipment Maintenance
- Daily Checks: Required for all diving equipment before use.
- Handrails and Barriers: Handrails on 3m springboards should be surrounded by handrails with a minimum clearance of 1m between vertical pairs.
Additional Safety Features
- Surface Agitation: Mechanical surface agitation should be installed under diving facilities to aid the diver’s visual perception of the water surface.
- Lighting: Minimum illumination of 600 lux required at 1m above water surface.
- Protocol: Diving activities should be restricted if the equipment is not in good working order or if the forward clearance is inadequate.
REFERENCES
- Blanksby, B., Wearne, F. K., Elliott, B., & Blitvich, J. D. (1997). Aetiology and occurrence of diving injuries: A review of diving safety. Sports Medicine, 23(4), 228-246. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-199723040-0000
- FINA Facility Rules 2021 - 2025. FINA, Lausanne.
- Safe Diving Practices: Competitive Applications (Keith McElroy), J Blitvich et al, 1999.
- Guide to Ontario Public Pools Regulation, 2nd Edition, 2004, Lifesaving Society, Toronto
- Managing Health and Safety in Swimming Pools, 3rd Edition, 2003, Sport England Publications, Wetherby.
- GSPO Guideline FD24 Design of Starting Blocks (Starting Platforms)
- GSPO Guideline PR8 Qualifications For Providing Safe Aquatic Programs
