Table of Contents
- What happens to the body when jumping from a 10-meter diving board?
- How often do injuries occur from high water jumps?
- Who should not jump from the 10-meter diving board?
- How to best prepare for a jump from the 10-meter board?
- What is the safest body position for the jump?
- How dangerous are other jumping variants?
- Does it make a difference if you jump from the diving platform or a board?
- Can you fly too far by running up and land on the pool edge?
- Why can some people jump from great heights without getting injured?
- How dangerous is the entry into the water after the jump?
- Jumping from a 30-foot-tall tower - The Dangers and the Safest Ways
The 10-meter diving board in the swimming pool is a definite no-go for some, while for others, the jump is a dare or even an opportunity to show off. The awe of the height is not unfounded, as the jump from the 10-meter board comes with a risk. Especially inexperienced individuals can sustain severe injuries that could even be fatal. On Monday, such a bathing accident with fatal consequences occurred in Bremen. The 23-year-old presumably sustained internal injuries during his jump, as the police reported.
What makes the jump from the 10-meter diving board so dangerous? Which jumping variant is the safest? And how can one prepare for such a jump? An overview of the most important points.
What happens to the body when jumping from a 10-meter diving board?
It's not just water? Think again! "From this height, the water is hard as concrete," says Joachim Rödig, chief physician of the clinic for orthopedics and trauma surgery at the Mönchengladbach clinic Maria Hilf. In an interview with the "Rheinische Post" (RP), he warns: "When jumping from a 10-meter diving board, an extreme force is developed." If one lands incorrectly on the water, one can sustain severe injuries - "similar to a motorcycle accident." Bones can break, skin can tear, and internal injuries and chest contusions are possible.
How often do injuries occur from high water jumps?
There are no numbers for this. However, a statistic from the German Life-Saving Association (DLRG) shows that there were at least 378 bathing accidents with drowning deaths in 2023, 23 more than the previous year. Most cases (90 percent) occurred in inland waters - including lakes (138) and rivers (135). The DLRG therefore warns against bathing in unsupervised waters. In swimming pools, there were the fewest drowning deaths. In 2023, there were eight.
Who should not jump from the 10-meter diving board?
Those who are inexperienced in jumping should not immediately jump from the 10-meter diving board. "Overestimating oneself is dangerous," says Roland Scheidemann of the German Life-Saving Association (DLRG) in an interview with the "RP". Those who are unsure should be reasonable and climb back down. Each jumper takes responsibility for their own 10-meter jump. Although supervisory personnel can ensure that the pool is free and only one person is on the board at a time, it is still "life-threatening if someone attempts a header who is not experienced," according to Scheidemann.
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Matti Büchner is the head of the diving department at Berliner TSC and trains professional athletes as a national support point trainer. The DPA asked him how to best approach the first dive from a 10-meter platform. He recommends a slow approach – from the 1-meter board to the 3-meter board and so on. This strategy is also used by elite athletes until they have enough body tension for a straight entry. He explains: "From a 10-meter platform, you hit the water at about 50 km/h, that's quite an impact."
What is the safest body position for a dive?
The safest dive is one that is straight and tense: arms close to the body, legs closed, toes pointed. This offers the least resistance upon impact with the water. However, in general, any dive must be executed cleanly to be as risk-free as possible. A belly or back flop from even a 1-meter board can hurt.
How dangerous are other diving variations?
The hardness of water is noticeable even at low heights, especially if you do a belly flop instead of a graceful header. An unfavorable landing on the water surface can quickly become painful. When diving into the water, the smaller the body surface area, the better. But what is the safest? A research team from Cornell University in the US tested which forces act on the body and what injuries to expect when diving in headfirst, hands first, or feet first. For the experiment, dummies were printed in 3D and shot into the water. Sensors measured the forces at impact, and high-speed cameras documented the experiment.
The safest of the three diving variations? No surprise: the "candle," or the straight dive with feet first. The risk of injury only increases at a height of 15 meters with this variation, mainly for the knees. To avoid skin injuries, stretch your toes and don't hit the water surface with flat feet. With the classic header, where the palms are placed together over the head, the risk of injury increases from 12 meters. From this height, fractures of the skull are possible. To avoid shoulder injuries, tense your arms and shoulders upon entry. The most dangerous are dives with the head first, arms close to the body. The results of the research suggest that such a dive from a height of only 8 meters can cause significant injuries, potentially affecting the neck and spinal cord.
Does it make a difference whether you dive from a platform or a board?
A platform is fixed, while boards are movable. This means that you need a lot of body tension in the middle of your body. Both the abdominal and back muscles should be tense when diving from a board. Otherwise, you might "collapse" and this could negatively affect your dive – for example, you might land in a side or forward position.
A ten-meter diving board must be at least 13.5 meters wide from the edge of the diving tower. To clear this, the running speed would need to be 30 km/h. However, the risk from the height is great, especially if one loses control of their body and hits the water in an unfavorable position. It's also important to always ensure that no one is in the water who could be landed on during the dive. Once in the air, the dive cannot be reversed. It's best to have someone signal when the water is clear. Expert Büchner strongly advises against diving from a diving board with a running start. "They have a nasty anti-slip coating, and if you fall, you can really scrape yourself up," he explains. Instead, he suggests standing at the front of the board and bouncing up and down a couple of times like on a trampoline - with proper body tension, of course - before jumping into the water.
Why can some people jump from great heights without getting injured?
Technique! Whether professional divers or adventurous cliff jumpers, body tension is key. This makes the body more compact. A trained entry position is also important. The greatest documented height from which a person has ever jumped is 58.8 meters. Extreme athlete Laso Schaller was the one who jumped from a waterfall in Ticino. When he hit the water, he was traveling at 123 km/h. Schaller landed in foaming water, which was less harsh than a smooth surface, but he still tore his medial collateral ligament.
How dangerous is the entry into the water after the jump?
A professional diving pool is five meters deep. A pool in a public swimming pool can be shallower. Therefore, expert Büchner recommends checking the depth before diving. With a pool depth of five meters, the body is usually braked enough upon entry, but with a shallower water depth, he recommends helping out. Spread arms and legs slightly from the body to increase resistance. But be careful: Only underwater.
Source: Science Advances, German Swimming Federation, DLRG, NZZ, Galileo, with material from Dpa
The 10-meter diving board in an outdoor swimming pool can also pose a risk for experienced swimmers. After a successful jump, it's important to enter the water safely to avoid injuries. A straight and tense dive, with arms close to the body, legs closed, and toes pointed, offers the least resistance upon impact with the water.
For outdoor enthusiasts, the appeal of an outdoor swimming pool with an outdoor diving board can be hard to resist. However, it's essential to remember that safety should always be a priority, especially when jumping from such heights.
