Risk reduction in diving spinal cord injury: teaching safe diving skills

Thirty-four recreational swimmers underwent an intervention program to improve diving skills. Participants with low diving skills completed seven 10-minute sessions which emphasised locking thumbs and holding arms extended beyond the head, and steering and gliding skills. Various dive entries were video-recorded and maximum depth reached was used as the criterion measure. A one-way repeated measures analysis of variance was conducted for each dive condition. Maximum depth decreased for all dives. Velocity at maximum depth was greater for the Treadwater, Deck and Block conditions. Improved streamlining and increased 'spring' were evident in more confident participants. Hands separated in 71% of pre-intervention dives but only in 3% of post-intervention dives. Preintervention, arms were pulled backward before. or at, maximum depth in 30% of participants but none did this post-intervention. Diving skills were improved following participation in the intervention program.