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Original poster

The high platform diving at the Olympics is insane! How on earth do you work up the courage to do that?

26 replies

SunflowerMedals · 05/08/2021 15:16

I'd be gibbering on the side while these men and women do handsprings off a concrete platform 20m up!

OP posts:
TheSpottedZebra · 05/08/2021 15:17

You start off low and get higher and higher!

SoupDragon · 05/08/2021 15:19

I remember standing on the edge of the "high" diving board at my local pool once. I backed away and did the downwards climb of shame via the ladder instead. I suspect it wasn't as high as the Olympic one!

Original poster
SunflowerMedals · 05/08/2021 15:21

My knees shake at the thought!

OP posts:
ninja · 05/08/2021 15:23

My daughter decided she would wanted to do the 10 board at a pool we were at so I had to go up with her. The lifeguards looked a bit nervous - but she jumped. It was terrifying!

BogRollBOGOF · 05/08/2021 15:30

I've jumped off middle boards, never the top!

fallfallfall · 05/08/2021 15:31

It’s only 10 meters not 20.

terrywynne · 05/08/2021 15:32

Highest I've jumped off is 5m, highest I've "dived" off was 3.5m (it was more a lean and fall than dive). I went up to 10m and looked down and was utterly terrified... I had diving lessons and could do some basic stuff off low spring boards (pikes and stuff) but the fear of diving from any higher did for my glittering Olympic diving career. Grin

icedcoffees · 05/08/2021 15:33

It's 10m high, not 20m.

terrywynne · 05/08/2021 15:34

But for utter terror try Red Bull cliff diving championships Shock they have (underwater) divers on stand by at the bottom who sometimes have to help the divers to the side because of the impact of hitting the water.

Original poster
SunflowerMedals · 05/08/2021 15:36

I like how you say 'only' 10m Grin The camera showed a diver's view at one point and it was bloody high!

OP posts:
Scarby9 · 05/08/2021 15:36

I jumped off the 10m board once aged 11ish.
I was told that once I had done it, I would have faced the fear and got over it.
I've never done it again! Proper scary.

fallfallfall · 05/08/2021 15:45

The scary bit is the clarity of the water, it looks like it’s not there.

Mydogisagentleman · 05/08/2021 15:57

DD used to do high boards diving, she wasn’t scared because she is so short sighted she couldn’t really see how far down it was.
And she was fearless

igelkott2021 · 05/08/2021 15:57

@SoupDragon

I remember standing on the edge of the "high" diving board at my local pool once. I backed away and did the downwards climb of shame via the ladder instead. I suspect it wasn't as high as the Olympic one!
I did similar when I was about 18 - at a pool in Finland with a high board. I ended up having to go back down the steps, getting in everyone's way. I don't even dive off blocks at my local pool, just off the side (and I am not very good at it, I can do one decent dive and the rest are belly flops, or chest flops in my case - ouch).

I can't believe how little fear some of the Olympians have - from diving to gymnastics to skateboarding to BMX. Amazing.

noideawhatusernametochoose · 05/08/2021 16:11

No way on earth would you get me even walking the steps up to one let alone get onto the board. Even the thought of getting up the steps makes me feel really panicky.

In my far gone youth I once jumped off a 2m board. Wouldn't even do that now!

Needapoodle · 05/08/2021 16:14

I jumped off a 5m board on holiday once at a waterpark when i was about 20. No lessons or anything ever. I assumed because it was at a waterpark it was safe. I hit the water with so much force I thought id ripped my nether regions open it hurt so bad. I went off to the toilets to cry a bit.

frankie001 · 05/08/2021 16:15

I’ve jumped off a 20m at the pool, I was younger, braver and fitter!

MistySkiesAfterRain · 05/08/2021 16:20

I remember at the swimming pool on Saturday there'd be a queue of kids and a build up if tension to work up to doing the small or high one. The high one was huge. This was the 80s, I'm not even sure if many pools have diving boards anymore? I did the little one and it was so scary! Its quite hard when you hit the water and I wasn't even diving, just jumping and holding my nose so I didn't get a head full of water, which seems like a bad idea now I think about it. I never got beyond a belly flop, I wish I'd had lessons and learned to dive.

Ah going to the pool used to be such fun.

Bigassbeebuzzbuzz · 05/08/2021 16:26

I remember my friend actually dried while working up the nerve to jump off the high board. I didnt like the smaller ones, they were springy and had a weird sandpaper feel that hurt my feet so I climbed up to the high board which was concrete.

MrsIronfoundersson · 05/08/2021 16:43

This is an intriguing video on the subject!

SoupDragon · 05/08/2021 17:03

This was the 80s, I'm not even sure if many pools have diving boards anymore?

Having googled, I think the one I went to in the 80s has removed the boards. Probably because the pool wasn't deep enough to be safe TBH!

SoupDragon · 05/08/2021 17:19

[quote MrsIronfoundersson]This is an intriguing video on the subject!

[/quote] I felt ill just watching that 😂😂
Luckystar1 · 05/08/2021 17:28

Oh I love that video! I watched the whole thing! It’s interesting that none of them just walked up and jumped off without looking. I think that would be the only way I could do it!

Hen2018 · 05/08/2021 17:31

Fred Sirieux’s daughter is diving. (He presents First Dates).

Mumsnut · 05/08/2021 17:39

We were allowed to jump off the high board at RAF Cranwell pool in the 60s and 70s, as a treat after school swimming class.

Imagine that nowadays!?

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