WASHINGTON — Every four years when the Summer Olympics come around, keen-eye viewers tend to spot something interesting during the diving competition: Sprinklers watering the top of the pool.
The steady stream of water definitely isn't enough to fill up the pool, so what's the purpose of it? Well, it all comes down to safety.
FINA, the international federation that handles water sport rules and regulations, specifically requires "mechanical surface agitation" under diving facilities to help the athletes "in their visual perception of the surface of the water."
According to the federation's latest regulations from Jan. 2024, "In pools equipped with an underwater bubble machine, the machine shall only be used for the purpose if it creates sufficient water agitation when working with a very low pressure; otherwise a horizontal water sprinkler system shall only be used."
So the sprinklers spraying water onto the surface of the water are the required "horizontal water sprinkler system."
Molly Carlson, a Canadian high diver who won silver in the women's 20-meter event at the world championship, explained in a 2023 video that one of her most asked questions is why are there sprayers in the water.
"This is not to make the surface area softer, because let me tell you from 20 meters it's still gonna hurt," Carlson told her 3.8 million TikTok followers. "But it's actually to help you see where you're going to land. So if you can't see the surface of the water, you're not going to know how to adjust properly."
How cold is a diving pool?
The required pool temperatures vary by sport and are once again set by FINA.
For diving at Olympic Games and World Aquatics Championships, pools must be no less than 26 degrees Celsius or 78.8 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the federation's latest regulations.
Overall, water temperatures for indoor swimming competition needs to between 25 and 28 degrees Celsius or 77° to 82.4° Fahrenheit.