Divers Diving Into Very Shallow Pools of Water
Diving is a sport all enjoy to watch. The perfect combination of acrobatics and water sport, diving is a sport that is regarded as a legitimately skillful act even recognized as an Olympic sport. We have likely all tried our hand at diving in some form. Even an accidental belly flop or cannonball, while still painful and messy, are fun and thrilling acts. We may not be capable of the flips and tricks professionals are accustomed to training for, but even amateur diving is a beloved pastime.
Walking along any swimming pool, you will see “No Diving” signs along the edges of the shallower ends, and with excellent reason. When diving, it is important adequate amounts of water separate you and the concrete bottom of the pool, otherwise, a collision is inevitable, leading to major injuries such as broken necks and spines. Both conditions can lead to coma, paralysis, and even death.
Shallow divers performing in traveling circuses, however, did not heed these important warnings. Their reckless, adrenaline packed performances were solely based around the danger of the shallow waters. Beginning their dive at staggering heights, crowds of people kept their eyes straight on these daring performers, waiting to see if they would emerge from the pool’s shallow surface alive or dead.
One diver who met a terrible fate was Samuel Gilbert Scott. Scott was already known as a daredevil performance artist, but his 1841 dive into the river Thames would prove to be his final shocking act. Scott hyped up his eager crowd by stating he would run to the Drury Lane pub to Waterloo Bridge. He would then dive 40 feet into the Thames, returning to Drury Lane Pub in the following hour. An excited audience watched Scott attempt to fulfill his challenge on the elected day, but were privy to more than they signed up for when Scott slipped a rope around his neck and fell mid air. Believing it was part of an act, the viewers were not able to save Scott in time.