Degrees of Difficulty of a Dive
When watching a diving meet, a forward 2 ½ in the tuck position looks more difficult than a forward dive pike. But you may ask, how much more difficult?
The degree of difficulty of a dive, often referred to as the “D.D.,” is one of two elements used to calculate the score of a dive with the other being the judges’ scores for the dive. The judges’ scores, after the high and low scores are dropped, are multiplied with the degree of difficulty and this creates the total score for each dive.
A formula developed by the international governing body for the sport of diving, FINA. The formula was developed to create a standardized way to rank dives. It is based on the addition of values that are assigned to elements that make up a dive.