#874 A perfect high dive entry leaves a big splash, no wait…

Did you ever watch folks doing a high dive, perhaps at the Olympics or at Le Reve or O by Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas and wonder how they enter the water with no splash?

Same answer as the guy got when he asked how to get to Carnegie Hall. Practice

There is a lot of science behind the perfect dive as well. According to TheConversation.com: “A good entry into the water in competitive diving is one which appears to be “splash-less”, is accompanied by a characteristic “rip” sound, and simulates the sound of tearing paper. The rip entry, considered the “hallmark of a master” looks to a viewer as if the diver is being sucked into the water without a splash.”

They explain that to achieve the rip entry, the arms of the diver have to be extended forwards and in line with the ears with the elbows locked. As well, the stomach and back of the diver must be contracted and tight. One hand of the diver grabs the other with the palms facing down so they strike the water as a flat surface. The impact with the water will create a vacuum between the hands, arms and head which, as the diver enters the water, pulls any splash down and under the water along with the diver. That simple. Yeah, right.

And then there are guys like Dana Kunze and the two members of his high dive team who have been the featured free show at the Allentown Fair and who performed four times a day in the Farmerama Theater. “We dive into 9 1/2 feet of water and the pool is 26 feet in diameter. It looks like a 50-cent piece from up on the platform,” Kunze said. By comparison, Olympians dive into water that is 16 feet deep.

So grab the family and head down to the local pool and take a lesson or two. With a little practice…

Have you ever done a high dive? Or perhaps cliff diving? Share your thoughts in the comments. Would love to hear from you.

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