Why Do Divers Wear Tape?

Quick Answer

Most of the tape you see that isn't on the wrist is kinesiology tape, and it's there for joint and muscle support.

You'll see it on shoulders, lower backs, and knees. 

From higher levels, divers will support their wrist with athletic tape in place of bulky wrist guards. They help absorb the impact from high heights and stop the wrist from bending too far, preventing sprains, and strains in the area.

Why divers specifically

Here's the thing people don't picture when they watch diving. The sport looks graceful and weightless, and then it ends with you hitting water at highway speed.

From the ten meter platform that's around 30 to 35 miles per hour. Your hands go first, your arms have to be locked out and rigid, and everything takes the force.

A full 10 meter practice could have anywhere from 10 to 50 dives. 

That leads to some body parts that complain! And it's pretty predictable:

• Shoulders and wrists from absorbing entries with locked arms and swimming aggressively under water
• Lower back from arching, hollowing, and the compression of impact
• Knees from thousands of takeoff

None of that is dramatic injury. It's just overuse. Tape is one of the things divers use to keep training through it.

What the tape actually does

Kinesiology tape is stretchy and gets applied along a muscle or across a joint. The theory is that it lifts the skin slightly, supports the tissue underneath, and gives you more feedback about where that body part is in space.

Honest answer on whether it works: the research is mixed. Studies on kinesiology tape have not shown the dramatic effects the marketing suggests, and some of the benefit is probably placebo and that it makes you more aware of the area and slightly more careful with it.

But athletes across every sport keep using it, and "it makes the shoulder feel more stable" is a real thing even if the science isn't fully settled. If it lets someone get through a session, that's the whole point.

Other things you're probably wondering

• Does diving hurt? A bad one absolutely does.
• What is a smack? The word for landing flat, and the reason bad entries hurt.
• Why do divers shower after every dive? Cold muscles are tight muscles, and tight muscles get hurt.
• Is diving dangerous? it depends. Probably less than people assume, but yes it is.

- DG