How do the judges' marks become a score?
B · Beginner · The dive · 3 of 5Seven judges each give a mark from 0 to 10 in half points. The two highest and the two lowest are cancelled. The three that remain are added and multiplied by the degree of difficulty. With five judges, only the highest and lowest are cancelled. The judges mark at the same moment and do not confer.
How it works
- The scale: 10 excellent; 8.5 to 9.5 very good; 7.0 to 8.0 good; 5.0 to 6.5 satisfactory; 2.5 to 4.5 deficient; 0.5 to 2.0 very deficient; 0 completely failed.
- What is judged: "the technique and grace" of the starting position and the approach, the take-off, the flight and the entry.
- What is not: the walk to the starting position, the difficulty of the dive and "any movement beneath the surface of the water".
- Seven judges: used whenever possible at the Olympic Games, world championships and World Cups. "The secretaries shall cancel the two (2) highest and the two (2) lowest judges' awards."
- Five judges: may be used elsewhere. The highest and the lowest are cancelled.
- The sum: the remaining awards are added and multiplied by the degree of difficulty.
- The rule's example: awards of 8.0, 7.5, 7.5, 7.5, 7.5, 7.5 and 7.0 leave 22.5, and 22.5 times a difficulty of 2.0 is 45.0.
- Together and apart: on the referee's signal each judge shows their award "immediately and simultaneously, without communicating with one another".
- A missing mark: if a judge cannot give one, the average of the others is used, rounded to the nearest half point.
- Where the judges sit: on each side of the board or platform in use.
The glossary has the judges' awards and the award scale.
Tricky cases
All seven judges give 8.0. How many marks count?
Three. Four are still cancelled, so the sum is 24.0 before the multiplier.
Does a big splash under the water after the entry cost marks?
No. Movement beneath the surface is not judged. The dive is complete when the whole body is under water.
Can a judge give 7.3?
No. Awards are in half points.
A dive scores 81.60. What does that tell you?
That the three counting marks times the difficulty came to 81.60. For example, three marks of 8.5 on a dive rated 3.2.
Why the rule exists
Three marks out of seven is a narrow middle on purpose. A judge who is far out, through bias or a bad view, has no effect at all. Marking at the same instant, without talk, means each mark is one person's honest view and not a drift towards the judge beside them.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| World Aquatics rules | As above | DV 5.2; DV 7.5; DV 7.8; DV 7.9; DV 8.1 |
| Synchronised diving | Eleven judges, with separate marks for each diver's execution and for synchronisation | DV 5.2.1; DV 7.6 |
| No electronic scoring | Judges show their awards on flash cards | DV 5.1.4 |
| Finals | Where there are enough judges, the panel may be made up of judges of other nationalities than the divers | DV 5.2.3 |
From the rule book
World Aquatics, Competition Regulations, Part Four: Diving Rules (in force as from 1 January 2025), Articles 5.1, 5.2, 7.5, 7.8, 7.9, 8.1 and 8.6.7. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: World Aquatics Competition Regulations (PDF).