safety

Question
If I have sons that want to jump off a 10 meter platform just to get a feel for the fall is that dangerous?  They have extensive experience diving from 1 and 3 meter boards.
They are expert swimmers and their ages are 16, 13, and 11.
Thanks,
John

Answer
Hi John -  I am glad you contacted me before having your sons jump off a 10 meter platform. There is absolutely a possibility of danger when going off the first time without having gone through the proper progressions at lower heights. Injuries can be severe when landing improperly. You kids will be going over 30 miles an hour when they hit the water !

It is good that they have experience on the springboards and that they are expert swimmers. Unfortunately, that won't help that much when it comes to platform diving.

They need to practice jumping off of the two lower heights, 5 meter and 7.5 meter. Hopefully, those heights are available at the pool you go to. If they are not, I would urge you to find a pool that does before trying the 10 meter.

They need to demonstrate the ability to show control on the decent from these heights. If they are safe from 5 meter, try the 7.5 meter. If they are safe from that height, then the 10 meter should be attempted only with professional supervision. The acceleration zone (which occurs about 3 meters from the water) is quite a hard area to change the way you will land if things are wrong.

If they do end up going off the 10 meter, I urge them to only jump feet first as going head first the wrong way can cause severe neck, shoulder and back injuries.

For more info on where to find a professional platform coach in your area go to: www.usadiving.com and navigate your way to find a club team in your area that uses platforms in their practice sessions.

Good luck with your sons diving endeavors and be safe!

Tom Trapp