World Championships of Death Diving 2018

September 5, 2018 3:56 PM

Here are the 8 final dives in this year's World Championships in Death Diving. (SLYT)
posted by Frobenius Twist (31 comments total)

Here is a playlist if you want more
posted by Frobenius Twist at 3:58 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]

Ow.
posted by ChrisR at 4:08 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]

Pathetic. None of them accomplished the kind of large splash you'd get from a good cannonball or went an impressive distance from the end of the platform even with a running start. I guess this must be water sports' equivalent to Fake Wrestling. 0.5 out of 10.
posted by oneswellfoop at 4:09 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]

I love the weird frozen-in-time style of Truls Torp. Here's a few more of his dives. Also this dive, but not sure if that's Torp or someone else doing the same style.
posted by Nelson at 4:19 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]

The second one, Arne Hagland, that was perfect. Jaw dropping. Timing and placement and perfect physical control. He wuz robbbed!
posted by Slap*Happy at 4:33 PM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]

Their entries could use some work.
posted by Flashman at 4:39 PM on September 5, 2018

There definitely needs to be a division between flippy tumbling death dives and hold-the-pose-until-the-bitter-end death dives.
posted by Etrigan at 4:42 PM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]

Oh, of COURSE this is a Norwegian thing.
posted by angeline at 4:45 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]

Ay-yi-yi
posted by 4ster at 4:52 PM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]

These remind me a lot of doing deliberate bone-crunching "hold a pose all the way to the concrete" stupid things in Skate 3. Except with, hopefully, less injury.
posted by BuxtonTheRed at 5:14 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]

Haugland wuz robbed
posted by rhizome at 5:15 PM on September 5, 2018

Bonus: The inexplicable denim-themed titles.
posted by mochapickle at 5:30 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]

They all seem to rely on the same reflexive tuck at the end which eliminates the ultra-satisfying splat you get when a true amateur misses a dive. that is what i came for.
posted by OHenryPacey at 6:02 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]

There's only one proper pairing for this.
posted by delfin at 6:03 PM on September 5, 2018

I am having such a shitty day, and this is exactly what I needed. Thank you.
posted by BlahLaLa at 6:20 PM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]

but the second guy scared the hell out of me! That twist towards the side looks like it could have put his head on the edge of the pool!

This is so dumb, and I truly wish to try it. Diving boards and diving depths are getting rare in the States, though.
posted by Countess Elena at 6:40 PM on September 5, 2018

I thought Emil Lybekk's dive was great. It was a great combination of actual skills and just being goofy.
posted by umbú at 6:48 PM on September 5, 2018

So at least a couple had hats on. One stayed on, one flew off. Are points higher or lower if the hat stays on through the whole thing?
posted by dilettante at 7:17 PM on September 5, 2018

Why no clip of America's death dive? I mean the country itself.

Waddaya mean? It’s being livestreamed 24-7.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:33 PM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]

I'm so glad this wasn't a thing when I was a diver. Way too easy (except for the high platform). Mostly looks like practice and that free time lifeguards get when they shut down the pool for the 15 minute break. You get your ass kicked out of the pool for such foolery, we get to do it just because.
posted by zengargoyle at 7:54 PM on September 5, 2018

I love how one can never have heard of a thing two minutes ago and find oneself saying Boo, no one should ever win with just the standard head-and-feet-down crouch entry, c'mon.
posted by chortly at 9:05 PM on September 5, 2018 [7 favorites]

I didn't see a single death, so that must be in the final round?
posted by maxwelton at 9:51 PM on September 5, 2018

I didn't see a single death

The culling happens off camera.
posted by Literaryhero at 12:04 AM on September 6, 2018

I wonder if a true belly flop can be done without injury. Like if you arched your back enough.

Regardless, until that is achieved, the rubric should be the hands and feet entering the water first. This is distinct from Olympic diving, where the diver must choose whether to enter the water with their hands or feet.
posted by rhizome at 12:29 AM on September 6, 2018

Beware Louganis!!
posted by avi111 at 2:34 AM on September 6, 2018

This is further evidence supporting my theory that the best sports are the ones where spectating is enhanced by incomprehensible play-by-plays.
posted by ardgedee at 5:59 AM on September 6, 2018

No Petting, No Bombing.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 7:30 AM on September 6, 2018

So many questions. Is this a Norwegian fraternity thing? What do these people actually do? They seemed fit, yet not actually divers???? Was this for charity or just glory? Were they encouraged to drink beforehand?

I enjoy "Ai Yai Yai" being universal for, "That looked spectacular and painful."
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 9:28 AM on September 6, 2018

I misread "death diving" as "death dropping" which is not the same. Though the possibility of combining a death drop (or voguing more generally) into a death dive intrigues me...
posted by mhum at 1:37 PM on September 6, 2018

I misread "death diving" as "death dropping" which is not the same.

That is a competition I'd watch, even more so if a high dive was involved.

I wonder if a true belly flop can be done without injury. Like if you arched your back enough.

As a kid, I was dumb enough to accept a dare to do a (much lower than the high dive) full belly flop. I can still remember the pain and the noise of hitting the water. Hitting the water like that from the high dive platform would be no joke.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:52 PM on September 6, 2018

Back flops from trying to learn how to do a forward somersault. Never did get the hang of it.
posted by rhizome at 11:44 PM on September 7, 2018