A dive is a headfirst entry into the water, straightforward or intricate depending on how the diver performs the dive and what s/he does between leaving the platform and hitting the water. Diving has thrived through the 20th century and is now a component of competitions held at all levels of competitions in swimming.

Pat Besford, an English swimming authority articulates an apt and evocative definition of diving: 'This complicated sport demands acrobatic ability, the grace of a ballet dancer, iron nerve, and a liking for heights'.