Experience the Thrill of Diving

Doug Beavers has never been fond of swimming. As a child, swimming laps for his team was uninteresting, and the cold water in the morning was uninviting. He used to gaze longingly at the dive team practicing across the pool. "What they did seemed so much more fun," said Mr. Beavers, now a dive coach at George Mason University. There was the humor in the fun of jumping on the board, the thrill of soaring through the air, and the comedy in a botched dive. In addition, diving well felt wonderful.


Joyful water jumping is not a pastime exclusive to children—adults can dive into water joyfully as well. Children, young or old, can surely jump or dive into water with joy. This kind of diving does not require intense physical exertion. Instead, it is about conquering a challenge or experiencing sheer happiness. However, executing a proper dive can be challenging, and most adults lack the know-how. What's the best way to get started?


Like Scott Donie, the head diving coach at Columbia University, who has his team applaud a diver's messy execution of a controlled entry. "They took a risk; they went beyond," he said.


For springboard dives, the pool should be 12 feet deep, while side dives require a depth of nine feet. A pencil jump is when you leap out of the water feet first. While this may seem simple, it happens to be one of the most "simple" first moves. "You learn how the board bends and moves and how to push off it," explained Mr. Beavers.


Once you can do the pencil jump three times without stopping, you're set to dive in. If diving is new to you, start by the pool's edge—it's less scary than a diving board. Bend at your hips to make your body form a right angle, and stretch your arms out above your head.


How you hold your hands counts to keep your head safe. Some people say your fingertips should touch the water first, but skilled divers use their palms. This guards your head and makes for a smooth dive with almost no splash. Hold your hands by grabbing one hand's front fingers with the other, palms towards the water.


When you feel good to go, try the same from the diving board; just don't jump. Aim to stretch out your body before you touch the water and use your core. Keep your legs close and toes pointed.


The next step is to jump into the dive and make a curve. "Start with small jumps and then try bigger ones as you feel sure," Mr. Donie said. Begin at the end of the board, arms up. Go up on your toes and bend your knees like in the pencil jump. Push off as you jump.


Stand on the tip of the board and ready it. Jump up as if you're doing a rainbow dive. Your head should not move as you jump, eyes forward. Near the top of the curve, tuck into a tight ball, pulling your legs up and your chest down. Touch your shins as you do this, while moving your eyes down to the pool.


You'll feel yourself tip forward into the dive as your sight shifts. Then kick your toes up to the sky and make your body straight to cut the water. As you do this, reach your arms toward the pool and join your hands. Again, the aim is to enter the water with your body tight, legs close, and toes out.