Why Are Divers' Swimsuits So Small?

Quick Answer

There are quite a few reasons, but a few of them include: judges need to see your body line, loose fabric catches water, and you have to grip your own legs.

You're being judged on shape

Diving isn't scored on whether you made it around. It's scored on what your body looked like doing it.

Judges are watching whether your legs are together, whether your knees are locked, whether your toes are pointed, whether your hips are square, and what your body line looks like from hands to toes.

Now put a baggy shirt on that. Can you tell if the legs are actually together, or is the fabric just hanging that way? Can you see the hip position at all?

Anything that obscures the body makes it harder for a judge to see what you did well, and judges score what they can see. A diver in loose clothing isn't getting the benefit of the doubt.

If you want the full picture of what's being evaluated, we break it down in how diving scoring works.

Loose fabric catches water

You're entering the water at speed and trying to make the smallest hole possible. Everything about that moment is about being narrow, rigid, and as mobile as possible.

Fabric that isn't skin-tight fills with water and drags. It also has a habit of getting in the way of leg movement. There's a reason you don't see anyone attempt a two and a half in board shorts unless it is at a country club pool on the weekend.

You need dry skin to grip

In a tuck, you grab your own shins and squeeze. In a pike, you're gripping  your arms behind the legs by the knees or the calves.

Fabric that is dripping water down on your legs gets in the way of that grip. Divers already fight slipping when their legs are wet, which is the entire reason for the tiny towels (shammie) between dives. Adding a wet layer of material to the equation doesn't help.

So why do swimmers wear more?

Because they're solving a completely different problem. Swimmers wear tech suits that compress the body and reduce drag through the water over a long distance, and those suits are engineered for it.

A diver is in the water for a moment. What matters is mobility and high visibility of the body in the air. Different sports require specific and often different gear, even though they share a building.

Other things you're probably wondering

• Why do divers shower after every dive?
• Why do divers use those tiny towels?
• Why do divers wear tape?
• Why is water sprayed on the diving pool?
• Why is there a hot tub at diving competitions?

- DG