Diving Score

Diving (saltos ornamentais) scoring

A dive's final score works like this: score = (sum of middle 3-5 judges) × DD × 0.6. Seven judges hand out marks from 0 to 10, the top and bottom marks get tossed, and the remaining 5 are added together and run through the ×0.6 normalization. The DD, or Degree of Difficulty, runs from 1.2 up past 4.8 and comes from the FINA Diving Code. Events split into 1m/3m springboard, 10m platform, and synchronized.

In Brazil the sport is run by the CBDA, and it has been on the Olympic program since 1904, with synchronized diving joining at Sydney 2000. On the Brazilian side, César Castro reached an Olympic final at Tokyo 2020, while Ingrid Oliveira and Giovanna Pedroso took Pan-American silver. China has dominated since 1984. FINA, by the way, became World Aquatics in 2023.

Applications

Judging diving competitions, scoring CBDA Brazilian championships, running combined swimming and diving events, planning coach training, and mapping out Olympic preparation cycles.

FAQ

Why ×0.6? It scales the sum of the 5 kept marks so the numbers stay sensible. For a tariff of 3.0 the realistic ceiling lands around 105.4 (=10×3×0.6×5).

Highest DD? The forward 4½ somersault (109C) sits at DD 4.8 off the 10m platform. It dates back to the Greg Louganis era and is still attempted by Chinese divers today.

Synchronized scoring? Judges grade execution and synchronization on separate panels, and each side feeds into the total with its own weight.