A cannonball splash is probably the most fun way to dive – and the best way to annoy all others in the pool with the resulting splash.

However, did you know it’s a legitimate sport as well? It’s officially called ‘splashdiving’, but fans of the sport call it ‘arse bombing’.

While normal dive competitors try to make their entrance into the water as smooth as possible, (and are judged accordingly), in splashdiving you are awarded points on the size of the splash.

The more water dispersed on impact, the higher the score.

Although that might sound rather painful, leading splashdivers say it doesn’t really hurt much at all.

The pain is minimal,” according to the reigning arse-bombing world champion Rainhard Riede from Bavaria. And in the words of arse-bomber Lukas Eglseder, “You get used to it.”

There are in fact 13 different styles of diving that competitors can choose from.

The classic ‘arse bomb’ involves landing bum first with the knees tucked into the stomach.

Other techniques include ‘the cat’, ‘the chair’, and ‘the plank’. Contestants are required to announce their moves in advance, and are given four chances to make a splash.

Founded by Oliver Schil in 2003, the official splashdiving event was his attempt to “change how pool bombing is viewed by people worldwide.”

He came up with the entire structure and rules himself, before organising the first Arschbombe (arse bombing) contest. With over 6,000 spectators and enormous press coverage it was a huge success.

Since then, Arschbombe World Cups have been a yearly event, with several world champions crowned since.

It is believed that between 500 to 1,000 splashdivers take part in the sport in the world today, but only a small percentage actually compete in official events.



(Image Credits: Splashdiving/Facebook)