How is the difficulty of a dive worked out?
B · Beginner · The dive · 2 of 5Each dive has a degree of difficulty, a number worked out from a World Aquatics formula with five parts and listed in tables. The judges do not consider it when marking. After the marks are added, the total is multiplied by it, so a harder dive earns more for the same quality.
How it works
- The formula: "A + B + C + D + E = DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY". The five component values are set out in appendices to the diving rules.
- The tables: dives with their numbers and difficulty are listed for the springboard and for the platform.
- A new dive: a dive not in the tables is given its number and difficulty by the same system.
- Who sets it: the appendices are drawn up by the Technical Diving Committee and approved by the World Aquatics Bureau.
- Not the judges' business: a dive must be judged "without regard to ... the difficulty of the dive".
- The multiplication: the secretaries add the marks that remain after the cancellations and "multiply this total by the degree of difficulty".
- On the list: the diver writes the difficulty of each dive on their statement of dives.
- Synchronised diving: the first two rounds are given a fixed difficulty of 2.0 whatever the formula says.
Tricky cases
Do the judges give higher marks for a harder dive?
No. They mark technique and execution only. Difficulty is applied afterwards as a multiplier.
A diver invents a dive that is not in the tables. Can they use it?
Yes. It is given a number and a degree of difficulty under the same formula.
Is a dive worth the same difficulty from the springboard and from the platform?
No, not necessarily. There are separate tables for springboard and platform dives.
Why the rule exists
Without it, every diver would do the simplest dive they could do perfectly. The multiplier rewards risk. Keeping it out of the judges' hands, in a published table, means the difficulty of a dive is the same for everyone and the judges mark only what they see.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| World Aquatics rules | As above | DV 1.6; DV 7.8; DV 8.1.2 |
| Synchronised diving | Difficulty fixed at 2.0 for the first two rounds | DV 3.6.3; DV 3.6.4 |
| The formula's components | In Appendices 8 to 11, which were not read for this set | DV 15 |
From the rule book
World Aquatics, Competition Regulations, Part Four: Diving Rules (in force as from 1 January 2025), Articles 1.6, 3.6, 4.9, 7.8 and 8.1.2. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: World Aquatics Competition Regulations (PDF).