Frequently asked questions

WHAT AGE CAN MY CHILD START DIVING

We generally say six is the youngest age for a child to start diving lessons but they have to be able to swim 25m and be confident in deep water to join the diving lessons.

WHAT IS A TID DIVER

A TID DIVER  is a diver who has been selected by an England Diving Talent Scout generally from a local school testing session followed up by a more thorough testing session in the Diving Dryland Gym at Crystal Palace. TID stands for Talent Identified Diver, in other words a child who has the physical attributes to make a National / International Diver. These divers make up the TID groups who train at Crystal Palace and do at least one dryland and one diving pool session.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT DIVING LEVELS

Level 1 is our learn to dive school.  Children aged between 6 and 14 learn basic diving and the teachers follow the ASA badge scheme.  Children are tested for their badges each term.

Level 1.5 to 2 is our school talent teams.  Children are taught the 12 National Skills and compete for their school every term.  Some children go on to compete at the Regional Novices and some are selected to go to ASA National Skills but only if their dives are polished enough to finish in the top 20 in the Country at Level 2 Nationals.

Level 3 This is the elite age group divers aged 9 to 16 that have previously medalled or finished top six at National Skills.  Divers have to perform multiple somersaults in different directions and we expect them to finish in the top 20 in the Country to be entered in the ASA National Age Group Championships. Children are considered for this team based on a variety of factors. They must have mastered the 12 National Skills,  be strong top their conditioning, good flexibility, be powerful and are confident to try new dives from higher boards.  This year we won the ASA National Age Group Team title for the second time in a row.

Level 4 & 5 is where the Junior & Senior divers aspire to compete for Great Britain. These divers are coached by Chen Wen and his assistant, Xiang Yan Kong.  Chen considers best National Age Group divers for spaces in this squad.  Divers chosen for this team will be very brave, have excellent technique, be powerful and are very acrobatic. This team requires full committement and so the divers need to have a good work ethic.   These divers have Olympic potential or are already British Olympians.  Divers can compete internationally for their country from the age of 14 so we start considering divers for this team from the age group squads eighteen months before their fourteenth birthday.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT BADGES FOR THE DIVING LESSONS

Beginners - Stage 8, 9 & 10

Improvers - Level 1, 2 & 3

Intermediate - 5, 6 & 7

CAN MY CHILD BE ASSESSED OUTSIDE THE DATES GIVEN FOR BADGE ASSESSMENT WEEK?

No, but if you can't make the badge assessment on your regular day you may be able to attend a different class that week only.

If we have a spare teacher available you may be able to book a half hour private lesson to take the badge test.

CAN MY CHILD COME TO A DIFFERENT DIVING SESSION IF THEY MISS THEIR NORMAL CLASS?

No, the only exception is during assessment week.  Classes that are missed are lost.  The reason being that many classes are full and it would not be fair to overfill classes for make up sessions.

IS THERE DIVING FOR ADULTS

Yes, we have diving on Wednesday nights at 7.30 for parents and others of all standards from beginners to masters.