If you thought you and your friends could do some pretty gnarly tricks at the local water hole, check out these show divers (including Purdue diving alumnus Steven LoBue) messing around on a rope swing and 5-meter springboard.

Apparently, Steven LoBue has been doing stunts with Mirage Entertainment since September 2009. Here’s another demo clip of his show diving stunts from Shenzhen, China.

Have you ever thought about putting a mini tramp on the diving towers? Check out this cool video of Danish gymnasts Carsten Houlborg and Jimmi Andersen. They don’t have the best form, but they certainly have the huevos rancheros to attempt some pretty incredible stunts.

The Splashdiving community has been busy organizing itself to the point of licensing and written exams much faster than I thought possible (or necessary). For a sport that resembles recreational divers goofing around on the platforms, Splashdiving has seen an enormous growth in popularity and acceptance. And too true; what better way to legitimize your sport than with structure, guidelines, explicit skill levels, and a governing body.

Splashdiving International has done just that (image source). The sport is now divided into “Show Diving” and “Contest Diving,” where the latter requires divers to announce their intended dive before performing it. While keeping improvisation in mind, judges of the contest diving score the athlete in the areas of “Jump UP”, “Move IT”, and “Splash DOWN.”

The licensing comes in when members of the Splashdiving community hold “Bombing Bounce,” er… sessions I guess you would call them. You can attain higher level licenses by safely demonstrating a skills progression that ranges from jumping into the water butt-first from the side of the pool, all the way through performing numerous skills from a height of 10-meters–including an Arschbombe (Google translation: ass-bomb) .

The highest level of certification is Bombing Bounce Baron, a decree that can only be granted by Splashdiving International, at which point you may begin licensing others.

> Hella Donna – the official band of the Splashdiving World Cup (sure why not!)
> German Splash Diving team prepares for the World Cup (August 14-16)
> Related: Splashdiving Video
> Related: 2009 German Splashdiving Championships by Mentos

The 2009 German Splashdiving Championships, presented by Mentos, are fast approaching. On May 16th-17th, Germany will open their National Championships to all nations in an effort to provide more opportunities for competition in the sport.

Germany, last year’s World Championship team winners, has led the international field in innovation and organization.

The German Championship event will be the first major international competition for the newly formed team from the UK, which hosted their own Nationals last fall. The open championships this May are also expected to draw athletes from other top Splashdiving nations such as the Philippines and Switzerland. However, the 2009 World Championship title won’t be decided until August.

Rumors are also going around that Splashdiving could make an appearance at the X-Games, the world’s elite level competition for alternative sports.

> United Kingdom Splashdiving team page
> The official Splashdiving International website
> More Splashdiving photos on DayLife.com

Last week I posted a few photos from Splashdiving.com, showing an extreme diving sport that I just learned about. I’m still obsessed with these fierce competitors and their ability to smack from 10 meters. Here is a video of the 2007 Mentos Splashdiving World Championship in Hamburg, Germany. Video HERE or watch it below on our blog site.

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