Why do divers shower between dives? What to know of practice at 2024 Paris Olympics

Olympic diving is a graceful and awe-inspiring act.

Whether it’s off a springboard or platform, the best divers from across the world who will be competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics are able to execute maneuvers that are incomprehensible to the vast majority of viewers from across the globe tuning in to the proceedings.

In just a small handful of seconds, competitors suspended terrifyingly high in the air complete a series of flips and twists before managing to straighten their bodies and complete a chaotic, action-packed sequence with just a tiny splash entering the pool somewhere between 30 and 35 miles per hour. In the synchronized diving competition, the level of difficulty is raised that much more, with divers having to complete those moves as close as they can to perfect unison with their teammate.

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The athletic feats they manage to pull off aren’t the only thing that Olympic divers do that might be difficult for the average fan to understand.

Immediately after getting out of the pool, divers in the Summer Olympics are shown on television showering. To the millions of viewers internationally who re-engage with the sport every four years, it’s a baffling act: Why is someone who was already soaking wet from plunging into a pool douse themselves with more water?

Here’s what you need to know about why Olympic divers shower after coming out of the pool:

Why do Olympic divers shower between dives?

Perplexing as it may appear, there’s actually a perfectly reasonable and physiologically sound reason as to why Olympic divers shower after getting out of the pool.

While competing, divers deal with a variety of temperatures. These events are taking place in air-conditioned venues, while only a fraction of a diver’s body — particularly for men — is covered by a swimsuit. They’re diving into relatively warm pools that, according to international standards, cannot be cooler than 78.8 degrees Fahrenheit. Once they get out of those pools, they’re immediately reintroduced to the cooler temperature of the building.

It can all be a bit jarring for the bodies of divers, the very bodies on which they’re relying to execute highly precise moves in a larger push for a gold medal. Alternating so quickly between different temperatures can cause a diver’s muscles to tense or cramp up, which can lead to injuries that negatively affect their performance.

This is where showers come into play. Rather than stand in the cold for an extended period of time between dives, divers will use showers to keep themselves and, most importantly, their muscles warm and limber.

“Usually after a diver does a dive, they will have to wait a good amount of time before their next dive,” Jacob Brehmer, the Ball State diving coach at the time, told CNN in 2021 . “The … air temperature on the pool deck may be a little chilly, so the shower can help keep muscles warm. Diving is such a precise and fast-twitch sport, if the diver gets a little cold and tight, it could really affect their performance.”

Divers will also turn to hot tubs for the same purpose, with some divers showering and jumping in the hot tub between dives to stay warm.

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Why do Olympic divers dry off with tiny towels?

The tiny towels used by Olympic divers aren’t the typical and much larger cotton or linen towels most people will use after getting out of the shower or pool.

Divers in the Summer Olympics and other competitions use towels called chamois (pronounced “shammy”). The towels are much more water absorbent, allowing divers to dry off much more quickly and efficiently than they’d be able to with a more conventional towel.

It not only helps regulate a diver’s body temperature, but also helps divers be as dry as possible for competition, when they have to grab on to their legs very tightly, reducing the risk that their grip slips.

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USA Diving team 2024

Here’s a list of divers who will be competing for the United States in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris:

• Sarah Bacon
• Kassidy Cook
• Alison Gibson
• Jessica Parratto
• Delaney Schnell
• Andrew Capobianco
• Tyler Downs
• Greg Duncan
• Carson Tyler
• Brandon Loschiavo
• Daryn Wright

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why do divers shower between dives? What to know of practice at 2024 Paris Olympics