Scoring
Judges award scores on a scale of 0 to 10 in half or whole points according to the following chart:
Completely Failed 0 points
Unsatisfactory 0.5 to 2.0 points
Deficient 2.5 to 4.5 points
Satisfactory 5.0 to 6.0 points
Good 6.5 to 8.0 points
Very good 8.5 to 10 points
The aspects of the dives considered by the judges are the run-up, the take-off, the flight technique and grace, and entry into the water. Each dive is to be considered without regard to the difficulty figure.
The divers’ starting position must be fully erect, with arms straight forward, to the sides or over the head. The approach to the end of the board must be smooth, straight, and leading into the hurdle, which is the springing action on the board gaining upward propulsion.
The take-off must clear the board by an ample safety margin.
Execution of the dive’s components from any of the straight, tuck, pike or free positions must be performed crisply, with flair and control, and held long enough in flight to clearly identify them.
Entry shall in all cases be vertical, or nearly so, with body straight, feet together and toes pointed. In a head-first entry, arms are extended overhead with hands together; in a feet-first entry, the arms are held tightly against the sides for streamlining. The less splash the better.
After each dive, the referee gives a signal and each judge, without consulting with the others, indicates his or her mark for the dive. The highest and the lowest of the seven scores are discarded, and the total of the remaining marks is multiplied by the degree of difficulty of the dive. That figure is multiplied by 0.6 in order to determine the final score. This weighing factor is used so scores from a competition with three judges can be compared with a competition with five judges.
Example: A diver in the springboard competition performs a forward dive with a half twist in the straight position, degree of difficulty 2.0, and receives the following scores: 8, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 6.5. The high (8) and the low (6.5) are canceled, and the total of remaining marks (35) is multiplied by the degree of difficulty (2.0). That figure (70) is multiplied by 0.6 to yield 42 points, the score of the dive.