Diving is considered one of these sports in which the competition’s officials don’t have to be specially trained or specifically tested to be qualified. In most competitions, the events judges are the coaches that you can find in the pool deck, but this doesn’t mean that anyone can be a diving judge without any requirements.

Judging diving isn’t considered as easy as it seems to be. Judges must have the full knowledge of the sport and understand the various rules of the sport well that are related to the various dives. 

In this article, we will discuss the main three requirements you need to become a diving judge. If you are interested in this career, deep dive with us.

How to Become a Diving Judge?

To become a diving judge, we will discuss about three steps in details, these steps are:

• Know about the sport.
• Become a coach.
• Pay the fees.

Know about the Sport 

Although diving is considered one of the simple sports, there are many technicalities that you must know to be able to judge accurately. 

As a diving judge, you must know the various rules of diving. You shouldn’t only know how a diving meet is run, but also you should know how each dive is scored and how to calculate the final score. Here are some of the basics that you should know as a diving judge:

Dive Numbers and Positions 

Judges have to know the dive numbers associated with each scuba dive in addition to the corresponding position letter.

For instance, when it’s announced that a scuba diver will be performing 5122 b (which means forward somersault with one twist in the pike position), a diving judge should immediately know that there is an error, as a diver can only perform this dive in the free position letter D.

Point Scale 

A diving judge should also be aware of the point scale associated with the particular meat that they are officiating. The USA diving point scale include the following:

• 0: which means completely failed 
• ½ – 2: means unsatisfactory.
• 2 ½ – 4 ½: means deficient.
• 5-6 means: satisfactory.
• 7-8 means: good.
• 8 ½ – 9 ½: means very good.
• 10 means. excellent.

But notice that score 10 doesn’t mean the scuba diver has made a perfect dive, it means that the dive was excellent and the overall judge’s impression of the dive that it was superb. A good judge with years of diving experience can easily distinguish between a dive with score 5 and another with score 8.

Discrepancies 

A diving judge should know to whom he goes when any discrepancy arises. In most cases, the meet director or the referee has the final call in case of a discrepancy during the diving competition. 

If a dive is executed incorrectly, then the referee who is the person to declare it as a failed dive, not the judge, and also if a diver balked on a dive, then the referee who decides. After that, the announcer deduct two points from each score of the judge.

Know What Makes Dives Good 

The diving Judge must be aware of what constitutes a good dive to access it accurately. There are five components of a dive including:

Starting Position 

Judges should look for proper posture as well as confidence when starting on a platform or springboard.

Approach 

Judges should look for proper posture, the diver’s confidence when displaying during the approach in addition to the proper carriage on the platform or board.

Take off 

Judges should look for proper posture of the platform or board in addition to the proper distance from it and the divers overAll strengths in the take off.

Flight 

Judges should look for good distance, height as well as proper form during the dive’s excursion.

Entry 

The judge should look for tight form when a diver enters the water, correct positioning of arm and head and almost no Splash in the water.

The judge analyzes each component and awared the diver according to his overall impression of the dive. So, if the diver rips an entry but doesn’t have a decent take off or good posture, the score will reflect that.

The judge should immediately flash his score once the diver enters the water and not refer to the awarded values of the other judges.

Become a coach 

If you are looking for the best way to become a diving judge,  become a diving coach first. A diving coach is engaged in the intricacies of the sport and knows how to evaluate a dive because he is highly experienced. 

In youth diving, the diving coach is the judge of the competition. When you become a coach, you will gain all the necessary experience and practice that are required to be able to evaluate various Dives.

Pay the fees 

The last step to become a diving judge is to pay the fees to the governing body of the sport. For the USA, There are two categories, including:

• Official: 75 dollars per year.
• Coach and official: 125 dollars per year.

The main difference between the two categories is related to the insurance that the United States provides. If you are an official coach, then you are covered by the diving liability insurance of the USA. 

If you are only an official, then you aren’t covered by the diving policy of the USA for any of the coaching activities while being in the pool.

Know the Details 

Although judging diving may look simple to an outside observer, you will take time to learn and know all the intricacies of the sport. After a few years of experience, you can note the actions that distinguish the good dive from the great one. 

It will take from you a keen eye to distinguish the difference between the dive that scored seven from the other that scored nine. 

To be ready to become a diving judge, get on a pool deck and watch the overall impression of many Dives. Once you get this experience, you will be ready to delve into the world of judging competitive diving.