Why do they spray water on Olympic diving pools? Reason pool is watered between dives at Tokyo 2020 Olympics

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are now well underway, with Team GB having already won a number of gold, silver and bronze medals, including a gold medal for the diving team.

But those watching coverage of the Olympics may have spotted the diving pools being watered between dives and wondered why this is done?

Here’s what you need to know.

Why do they spray water on Olympic diving pools?

If you’ve been watching any of the Olympic diving events, you may have noticed that water is sprayed over the surface of the pool between dives.

Although some may think the explanation for this is that it’s to replenish any water sloshed over the sides after a dive, it’s actually done as a safety measure.

The water spray create ripples across the water which then makes it easier for divers to see how far they are from the surface of the pool and they can therefore time their moves to end right before they enter the water.

Water being sprayed onto the pool helps the divers to see where the surface is, as with the diving board being 10m up, they can only see the floor of the pool from where they are standing.

The ripples created by the spray then allows the divers to judge the distance more accurately and make sure they enter the water at a safe angle.

As divers are travelling at around 35mph when they hit the surface, they can be seriously injured if they enter the water at a bad angle.

Other safety precautions for divers include minimum and maximum pool depths for optimum water pressure, as well as compressed air bubbles which are pumped from the pool floor to help soften the divers’ impact with the water.

What medals have the Team GB diving team won so far at the Tokyo 2020 olympics?

Tom Daley and his partner Matty Lee claimed victory in the men's synchronised 10m platform dive at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

This is Daley's first gold at what are his fourth Games, having previously won bronze in the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics.

Elsewhere in the pool, Adam Peaty became the first British swimmer to defend an Olympic title after winning gold in the men's 100m breaststroke.

Team GB also won gold in Tokyo in the mixed 4x100 metres medley relay, with a new world record time of three minutes, 37.58 seconds.

Team GB's men's 200m freestyle relay team also won gold, with Tom Dean also winning the men's 200m freestyle.

Luke Greenbank won bronze in the men's 200m backstroke, with Duncan Scott adding to Team GB's medal haul in the pool after winning a silver medal in the men's 200m individual medley and silver in the men's 200m freestyle.