Editing Diving (sport) (section)

=== Competitive diving ===
[[File:Diving tower at the 2008 EC.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Diving platforms in Eindhoven, Germany. 2008]]

In competitive diving, FINA takes regulatory steps to ensure that athletes are protected from the inherent dangers of the sport.  For example, they impose restrictions according to age on the heights of platforms which divers may compete on.

* Group D (11 & under): 5&nbsp;m
* Group C (12/13 year): 5&nbsp;m & 7.5&nbsp;m
* Group B (14/15 year): 5&nbsp;m, 7.5&nbsp;m & 10&nbsp;m
* Group A (16/18 year): 5&nbsp;m, 7.5&nbsp;m & 10&nbsp;m

Group D divers have only recently been allowed to compete on the tower.  In the past, the age group could compete only springboard, to discourage children from taking on the greater risks of tower diving.  Group D tower was introduced to counteract the phenomenon of coaches pushing young divers to compete in higher age categories, thus putting them at even greater risk.

However, some divers may safely dive in higher age categories to dive on higher platforms.  Usually this occurs when advanced Group C divers wish to compete on the 10&nbsp;m.

Points on pool depths in connection with diving safety:

* most competition pools are 5&nbsp;m deep for 10&nbsp;m platform and 4&nbsp;m deep for 5&nbsp;m platform or 3&nbsp;m springboard.  These are currently the FINA recommended minimum depths, however some pools are deeper. The deepest diving pool in Europe is in [[Ponds Forge|Ponds Forge International Sports Centre]] at 5.85&nbsp;m.
* diving from 10&nbsp;m and maintaining a downward streamlined position results in gliding to a stop at about 4.5–5&nbsp;m.
* high standard competition divers rarely go more than about 2.5m below the surface, as they roll in the direction of the dive's rotation. This is a technique to produce a clean entry.