Club Structure and Competition Pathway
Our club is organised into the Learn to Dive Beginner (LTD) Classes and Squads. The pathway begins with our Auckland Beginner Grading System and progresses all the way up to Olympic level events.
- Auckland Grades 1-4
- Diving New Zealand Skills Levels 1-3
- NZ Agegroup
- FINA Junior Elite
- FINA Open Mens/Womens Lists
Each stage in detail . . .
Auckland Grades 1-4
Grades 1 - 4 are worked on in the following classes
- Grade 1/2 class
- Grade 3/4 class
These grades develop a fundamental diving technique. There are no competitions for our Grades 1-4, and diver grading is done internally in the session.
DNZ Skills Testing Level 1, 2 and 3
Diving New Zealand's Skills Levels Series can be competed locally within Auckland and domestically around New Zealand. The pinnacle event the annual Nationals Skills Event which is held in either Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington or Dunedin. Divers are awarded with either Bronze, Silver or Gold ribbons for their performances.
- Skills Level 1, 2 and 3 is the focus of both 11&U and 12&O Skills Squad
Scores for Skills ribbons
Bronze 75 – 97.45 (Avg 5.0 & above)
Silver 97.5 – 112.45 (Avg 6.5 & above)
Gold 112.5 and above (Avg 7.5 & above)
NZ Age-Group
Divers then move out of the Skills program and progress into NZ Age-Group lists, which is where the diver comes up with their own 'lists' which are competed in events locally and domestically around New Zealand. There are medals for the top 3 divers in each event. Divers with NZ Age Group lists can also be selected by Diving New Zealand compete in entry-level international competitions in Australia.
FINA Junior Elite Lists
To progress further, divers can learn FINA Junior Elite Lists. These lists are recognized internationally, therefore allows divers to be selected to attend international events world wide. FINA is the world governing body for aquatic sports. FINA Junior Elite divers are categorized into the A, B, C categories as per NZ Age-Group rules (however, there is no Group D).
FINA World Junior Diving Championships is the highest event for FINA Junior divers which is held every two years. This event is the Junior version of the FINA World Championships, which is a senior event equivalent to the Olympics.
Auckland divers using FINA Junior Elite Lists train in either Junior Elite or Performance Squads.
FINA Open Mens/Womens
These lists are what you will see competed at the Olympic and Commonwealth Games. This is for divers who have moved out of Group A (however we often get some of our Junior Elite divers to compete in open events for exposure). At this time, the diver has specialized as either a Springboard or Platform diver. Men are required to compete 6 and the women are required to compete 5 of their highest DD dives.
Divers competing these lists can be selected by Diving New Zealand to compete at senior international events. This includes the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, World Champs/World Cup. There is also the Grand Prix circuit which is a series of 9 events each year which are located around the globe.
