The Rate of Water Safety Team Interventions in High Diving, A Survey of Elite Athletes Performing between 2009 and 2021.

Abstract

Abstract: There is a paucity of sport-specific safety data on high diving. This paper describes the results of a survey of all athletes competing in elite international competitions between 2009 and 2021.Sixty-eight athletes completed surveys, representing a response rate of 80%. The rate of water safety team interventions was calculated at one intervention per 295 high dives for the men (0.34%) and one intervention per 265 high dives for the women (0.38%). After safety team intervention, 26% of the male and 42% of the female divers required hospital evaluation.Circumstances reported by high divers that may contribute to an incident were performing a new dive (<10 repetitions), body position at water entry, and environmental factors such as water movement and cold ambient temperature. Statistically, a water safety team will intervene once or twice per 4-d tournament. Injury and illness surveillance both during tournaments and year-round is recommended.