Sit back, close your eyes, and think back to all your favorite summertime swimming pool memories …

• Your favorite song playing on the radio (Maybe even on cassette tape!)
• The smell of tanning oil in the air (Who thought about sunscreen in those days?)
• Sipping on a soda while your friends swim and play, competing to see who can make the biggest splash jumping off the diving board.

That’s right – a diving board. It wasn’t all the long ago that nearly every backyard pool had one. But these days, they’ve become hard to find. Pool trends and concerns about safety (even though fewer than 10 percent of all pool diving injuries involve a diving board) are mostly to blame. But now, diving boards are beginning to make a come back. If you’re thinking about including a diving board in your pool project, here are some things to think about.

Not all types of diving boards work with all types of pools. Or all types of divers.

The type of board – its size, shape and “springiness,” must be appropriately matched with the dimensions of your pool. So, too, must it be matched with the divers who’ll be using it. For example – small children probably won’t have the necessary coordination to use an exceptionally springy board with success. Divers who are quite tall or those with excellent diving skills may need a diving platform instead, to lessen the chance that they’ll come in contact with the pool bottom.

Types of diving boards

Diving Platforms – these are rigid boards on rigid stands that provide no bounce. Platforms are a good choice for divers who don’t want (or don’t need) the extra thrust a “springy” board provides when they enter the water. They may also be a good option for pools that don’t quite have the specific dimensions of a true diving well that a bouncy diving board requires.  

Diving Boards – diving boards are flexible boards on rigid stands. They may be made of aluminum or wood, and the board provides a small amount spring.

Flexible Diving Boards/Jump Boards – these flexible boards on flexible stands provide a significant amount of spring. They should be used exclusively for jumping, or only by experienced divers in pools built to accommodate them.

As you’re planning your backyard oasis, we can help you plan your pool to accommodate the diving board you want most. Then, you can start re-creating those summertime memories with your own family. Cassette player not included.