Thoughts on diving boards

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BMK

BMK

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Mar 29, 2016
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SW PA
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40000
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Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
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Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
We are just about to break ground on our new build and the other night the subject of adding a diving board came up. The discussion is between my wife and myself... and the PB. One of us wants one, two of us lean against it.

The pool will be a freeform design with rockwork w/ waterfalls and integrated slide. The deep end is not real wide or long, but it is deep enough, 9', because we figured the rocks / waterfall would most likely be used as a jumping platform.

I would greatly appreciate any expertise and / or experience you've had regarding installing...or deciding not to install...a diving board. If so, was it worth it, is it used a lot? Would you do it again?
If not, why not? If you considered it, what made you decide against it?
If a diving board was included with a pool as part of a house purchase, does it get a lot of use, or does it just take up space?

Thanks...I look forward to your collective wisdom.
 
There are very specific design rules associated with diving boards and your local code will dictate the distances required between the board, the edges of the pool and the deep end slope. You may need to alter or enlarge your design based on it.

Also, call your homeowners insurance company and ask about your rates. Pools don't necessarily raise rates a lot but having a diving board will almost surely raise your liability premiums. You might even consider getting a high limit ($1M +) umbrella policy if you don't already have one.
 
JoyfulNoise said:
There are very specific design rules associated with diving boards and your local code will dictate the distances required between the board, the edges of the pool and the deep end slope. You may need to alter or enlarge your design based on it.

Also, call your homeowners insurance company and ask about your rates. Pools don't necessarily raise rates a lot but having a diving board will almost surely raise your liability premiums. You might even consider getting a high limit ($1M +) umbrella policy if you don't already have one.
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Good points joyful - a compliant build, does not assure protection from injury or death.. the overlooked risk with slides is the fall from ladder to the decking.
 
I've had a pool for 10 years and it was built with a diving board. My kids are now 11 and 9 and I've never had any accidents. They love it. I have heard of people getting injured by doing stupid things on a diving board but its been a fun thing in my experience.
 
Your PB vote doesn't count, so it sounds like it is 1:1 split, lol. The PB doesn't live there, but do at least consider his pros/cons list.
I personally don't like the look of them. If you are going to have a rock wall, maybe make a bit of a landing on top if you want the option of using it as a specific jumping point. My view is that kids are going to edge jump into the IG pool regardless of a board there or not so no need for a specific board to do so.
 
What is the point of a deep end without a diving board? Are you planning on diving off the edge or just to post "no diving" signs. A pool is for fun. Diving is fun (to most people). Ergo: Diving boards are good! ;)

Boards are harder to add later due to needing to be bonded. You can always remove it if it proves to be not wanted.
 
Ours gets pretty good use. I grew up with pools having diving boards. I kept the tradition alive and we enjoy it. There is a risk. I attempt to mitigate that risk through education of my kids and guests. Risk will always exist. I have an umbrella policy. Actually had to change my whole insurance setup because the previous umbrella policy company wouldn't insure diving boards. I could get a standalone umbrella policy but that got messy quickly. So I re-placed all coverage with Nationwide and they are on my side now. Multi-million dollar umbrella, education, maybe some good luck and I enjoy the sunny days. I get more scared driving to work watching people approach/cross the center line everyday than I do about having a diving board. I still choose to drive. That was my personal approach for better or worse. If there is a bad accident, will I feel bad. Yes. But that accident could be a bad car accident or diving board accident.

Is your pool safer without a diving board? Maybe. However, they do direct divers to the dedicated/safest place to dive. Pools are risky regardless.
 
I purchased a home with a diving board...and pool.

I am biased because I love to dive, but I would not enjoy the pool nearly as much without it. AND I should note that I am no spring chicken ;) Yes...old broads CAN dive!

With that said, it seems half my nieces and nephews have never been TAUGHT to dive...so i coach them on technique. I didn't have a pool growing up but did learn to swim, speed swim, and dive at my local community center. So its kinda surprising to me how many young folks never receive this training. Then again, my high school also had a diving platform and pool with a competitive swim team, and I guess that's not all that common these days either.

I may be an outlier but I actually consider a diving board a safety feature insofar as it makes clear the one truly SAFE place to dive from. I do not allow any other dive location on my pool for safety reasons. But again, that was the way we trained, so that probably has stuck with me.
 
We have an old pool with a relatively high diving board because (I heard) the people who built the pool had a child who was a competitive diver in high school. The pool is 10 feet deep and the diving board is used very frequently and my kids and grandson loves it. We don’t allow people to dive from the edge of the pool, diving board only. I like that the diving board directs people to the “appropriate” part of the pool for diving. A rock wall is fun to jump from but I would think that has its own dangers too, especially for diving.
 

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I truly. truly wish I had a diving board. A deep diving area and a board to me are better than a more shallow pool or weird shaped pool that folks will still try to dive in from yet might be less safe.

My vote is lose some of the rocks (feh, everyone does 'em, they're going to appear dated in a few years, IMO) and go for a real sports oriented swimming pool with diving well! Think of the added exercise everyone will enjoy from diving!!!

Speaking of insurance- when we added the pool, USAA didn't even *ask* about a board. And please do consider a good Umbrella policy no matter what you decide- its a huge security to us.

Maddie :flower:

Maddie :flower:
 
A diving board is nice to look at. Mostly people jump off the diving board, just as they jump off the patio. Very hard to clean.

On a note, please make sure that the diving board has the clearances necessary. My pool (free form), and because of slopes caused the mason to cement the jigs in the wrong place. Failed by 2". Luckily, the township allowed the mason to cut 2 jigs, and purchasing a bonding kit ($400), in which they drilled an extra hole in the board. The kit, plus the extra cost of the electrician for grids cost him close to $1,200 as he purchased a bigger diving board.

Make sure that the 5' clearance from the center of the board to edge of patio meet. Down to the water is 72" and minimum depth is 8'. I believe is this national code.

What is the width of the pool about 3 feet out from the deep end?

I had 10' 4", so there was no room for mistakes. My free form pool has one straight edge and this is what caused the problem. If the deep end was symmetrical, then the mistake would have not happened. The PB blamed the mason and the mason blamed the PB. Eventually the mason lost on this one.

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GEDC1440 (2).jpg

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You can see the 4th jig up front to the left.
 
In event of an incident, how do you think manufacturers will respond?
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Not too well, but the diving board is secured, torqued properly, bonded properly, and the township wanted this for approval. IMHO, the board is just as sturdy as the bonding kit is highly rated. My concern was passing inspection and not worrying about cutting the concrete, just to move jigs.

Not necessarily a field modified diving system. The 3 holes to the diving board are still there and secured to 3 jigs that have concrete strength of 15,000 psi, way higher than the 3,500 psi concrete rating. There was a 4th hole that was drilled.

These bonding kits are designed for people who want to add a diving board that did not have one. Although, the bonding part of this is probably very tricky considering you are above the patio. Very expensive from what I can gather.

What type of warranty does a diving board company give you anyway?
 
We decided against getting a diving board when our pool was installed in 2004. We figured it was just an accident waiting to happen. All these years later we haven’t missed it a bit.
 
Swampwoman said:
I purchased a home with a diving board...and pool.

I am biased because I love to dive, but I would not enjoy the pool nearly as much without it. AND I should note that I am no spring chicken ;) Yes...old broads CAN dive!

With that said, it seems half my nieces and nephews have never been TAUGHT to dive...so i coach them on technique. I didn't have a pool growing up but did learn to swim, speed swim, and dive at my local community center. So its kinda surprising to me how many young folks never receive this training. Then again, my high school also had a diving platform and pool with a competitive swim team, and I guess that's not all that common these days either.

I may be an outlier but I actually consider a diving board a safety feature insofar as it makes clear the one truly SAFE place to dive from. I do not allow any other dive location on my pool for safety reasons. But again, that was the way we trained, so that probably has stuck with me.
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I'm a born worrier and when we purchased our home with an in-ground pool a few years back it came with a diving board, I was very nervous about the risk but it's a popular feature with all our friends family. I purchased a replacement board last year because the old one was showing its age. I figure if my insurance company can live with it then so can I.
 
My advice to anyone with a pool, diving board or not - seriously consider a multi-million dollar umbrella policy on top of all your insurance coverage (usually requires maxing our the limits of your other policies). Umbrella policies are cheap enough to justify the higher risks associated with pool use by outsiders. We live in a very litigious society and personal injury lawyers exist because there is a lucrative market for their “skills”. One bad accident on your property, especially with a pool, can easily send one straight to the poor house.
 
JoyfulNoise said:
My advice to anyone with a pool, diving board or not - seriously consider a multi-million dollar umbrella policy on top of all your insurance coverage (usually requires maxing our the limits of your other policies). Umbrella policies are cheap enough to justify the higher risks associated with pool use by outsiders. We live in a very litigious society and personal injury lawyers exist because there is a lucrative market for their “skills”. One bad accident on your property, especially with a pool, can easily send one straight to the poor house.
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Agreed. Homeowners should have an Umbrella Policy ($1 million is the minimum) whether or not a diving board is part of the pool. Most of the time, people run off the patio straight into the deep end. Wiping out on slippery concrete happens all the time.
 

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