There are six different types or “groups” of dive:

1. Front
2. Back
3. Reverse
4. Inward
5. Twisting
6. Armstand

Once in flight, the diver has a choice of four positions:

A. Straight
B. Pike
C. Tuck
D. Free (i.e. generally any combination of the above)

The number of somersaults and twists are also recorded.

The above information is conveyed in Diving Competitions using a 4 or 5 digit code (3 or 4 numbers followed by a position letter). The first number is the group (1-6), the third number is the number of 1/2 somersaults performed and the final digit is the position. The resulting combinations can be seen here.

In competition, the dive will be scored by a number of judges out of a possible 10 marks. The highest and lowest awarded scores will be discounted and the remaining scores added together. This mark will then be multiplied by the “Dive Difficulty” (a recognised value calculated from a formula for determining how difficult the dive is) to determine the score for that dive.