Wakefield Chapel Wahoos

There are six groups of dives. The first four are classified by the direction the diver rotates.

Forward (100): The diver faces the front of the board and rotates toward the water. Dives in this group vary from simple front dives to difficult forward, four and one half somersaults.

Backward (200): Dives in the backward group begin with the diver on the end of the board, with his or her back to the water, so as to rotate away from the board.

Reverse (300) Formerly called “gainers,” these dives begin with the diver facing the front of the board but then rotates toward the board.

Inward (400): The diver stands on the end of the board with his or her back to the water and rotates toward the board.

Twisting (500): Any dive that uses a twist (excluding armstands) is included in this group. There are four types of twists: forward, backward, reverse, and inward.

A dive may be performed using one of the following four positions.

Pike (A): The legs are straight with the body bent at the waist. Like the straight position, arm placement is dictated by the particular dive or by the choice of the diver.

Tuck (B): The Body is bent at the waist and knees, with thighs drawn to the chest and heels kept close to the buttocks. Feet and knees should be kept together and toes should be pointed.

Straight (C): No bend at the waist or knees. Depending on the dive, there may be an arch in the back. Arm placement is the diver’s choice or is defined by the dive performed.

Free (D): Indicates the diver’s option to use any of the above three positions, or combinations thereof, when performing a twisting dive.

Dives are described by their full name (e.g. reverse 3 1/2 somersault with 1/2 twist) or by their numerical identification (e.g. 103b), or “dive number.”

Specific dive numbers are not random. They are created by using these guidelines:

1. All dives are identified by three or four digits and one letter. Twisting dives utilize four numerical digits, while all other dives use three.

2. The first digit indicates the dive’s group: 1 = forward, 2 = back, 3 = reverse, 4 = inward, 5 = twisting, 6 = armstand.

3. In front, back, reverse, and inward dives, a ‘1’ as the second digit indicates a flying action. A ‘0’ indicates none. In twisting and armstand dives, the second digit indicates the dive’s group (forward, back, reverse).

4. The third digit indicates the number of half somersaults.

5. The fourth digit, if applicable, indicates the number of half twists.

6. The letter indicates body position: A = straight, B = pike, C = tuck, D = free.

Examples:
107B = Forward dive with 3 1/2 somersaults in a pike position
305C = Reverse dive with 2 1/2 somersaults in a tuck position
5253B = Back dive with 2 1/2 somersaults and 1 1/2 twists in a pike position