- 1). Ensure the water level is significantly deeper than your height if you are diving from the side of the pool or at least 10 feet deep if using a diving board. Diving into shallow water may cause you to hit your head on the bottom, resulting in serious injury or death.
- 2). Stand with your feet close together and your toes even with the edge of the pool or the end of the diving board.
- 3). Keep your back straight and your chin toward your chest to ensure you enter the water at a proper angle. Arching your back or tilting your head back may result in landing on your face or chest.
- 4). Bend your legs and raise your arms straight over your head, placing one hand on top of the other. This will ensure you break the water's surface smoothly and do not impact the top of your head, which can be painful.
- 5). Lean toward the water, pushing away from the edge once you begin to fall forward. Continue to keep your back straight, arms above your head and chin down until you enter the water.
- 6). Lean your head back toward the surface of the water as soon as you are fully in the pool and swim to the top. Generally the direction the top of your head is facing is the direction your body will move.