Andrea Spendolini Sirieix of Team United Kingdom competes in the women's 10-meter platform semi-final on day 13 of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (Photo by Tom Pennington / Getty Images)
(CNN) -
Spectators at the Tokyo Olympics are apparently a little taken aback by the behavior of athletes at Olympic diving or diving events.
Divers often get out of the water after a dive and immediately take a quick shower next to the pool, even if they are already wet.
They are then dried with small towels, although they will get wet again on the next dive.
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: medals and live results
"Why do divers bathe after every dive?"
It's been one of the top Google searches for the Olympics in the last week.
Then why?
As platform jumping events continue this week, we caught up with Jacob Brehmer, a scuba coach at Ball State University in Indiana, to get some answers.
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Colombian Anthony Jose Zambrano celebrates his second place in the 400m final at the Tokyo Olympics (Credit: ANTONIN THUILLIER / AFP via Getty Images)
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Follow here all the medals of Latino athletes in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (Photo: HANNAH MCKAY / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
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Pedro Barros from Brazil won a silver medal in men's park skateboarding.
(Photo by LIONEL BONAVENTURE / AFP via Getty Images)
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Ana Marcela Cunha from Brazil celebrates her gold medal in the open water swimming event on August 4.
(Leonhard Foeger / AP)
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Brazil's Thiago Braz celebrates on the podium with his bronze medal after competing in the men's pole vault event during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. (Photo by INA FASSBENDER / AFP via Getty Images)
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Boxer Abner Teixeira from Brazil won a bronze medal in the 81-91 kg category.
(Photo by Buda Mendes / Getty Images)
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Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze of Team Brazil celebrate women's 49er sailing gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at Enoshima Yacht Harbor.
(Photo by Clive Mason / Getty Images)
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Brazilian Alison Dos Santos celebrates after taking third place in the men's 400-meter hurdles final during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. (Photo by JAVIER SORIANO / AFP via Getty Images)
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Brazilian gold medalist Rebeca Andrade poses on the podium following the artistic gymnastics women's horse jumping final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Ariake Gymnastics Center in Tokyo on August 1, 2021. (Photo: JEFF PACHOUD / AFP via Getty Images)
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Rebeca Andrade won the silver medal in all-around gymnastics, a competition in which the American Sunisa Lee was the winner.
It is the first Olympic medal in that discipline for Brazil in the history of the Olympic Games.
(Photo: MARTIN BUREAU / AFP via Getty Image)
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From left to right, Brazil team bronze medalists Laura Pigossi and Luisa Stefani pose on the podium during the tennis women's doubles medal ceremony on the ninth day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, in the Ariake Tennis Park on August 1, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
(Photo: Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)
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Brazilian bronze medalist Mayra Aguiar celebrates during the -78 kg medal ceremony for women's judo.
(Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP via Getty Images)
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Bronze medalist Bruno Fratus of Brazil shows his excitement during the medal ceremony for the men's 50 meters freestyle on the ninth day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Tokyo Aquatic Center on August 1, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
(Photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
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Brazilian Italo Ferreira made history at the Olympics by winning the first gold medal in the men's surfing competition.
(Photo: Francisco Seco / AP).
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Kelvin Hoefler of Brazil poses with the silver medal on the podium at the end of the men's street skateboarding competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Ariake Sports Park Skateboarding in Tokyo on July 25, 2021. (Photo: JEFF PACHOUD / AFP via Getty Images)
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Rayssa Leal of Brazil poses with her silver medal during the medal ceremony of the women's skateboarding final on the third day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Urban Sports Park on July 26, 2021 in Tokyo , Japan.
(Photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
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Fernando Scheffer of Brazil won a bronze medal in swimming in the men's 200-meter freestyle competition.
(Photo: ODD ANDERSEN / AFP via Getty Images)
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Bronze medalist B Daniel Cargnin of Brazil poses on the podium during the medal ceremony for the men's -66 kg judo final on the second day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Nippon Budokan el July 25, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
(Photo: Harry How / Getty Images)
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Cuban Arlen Lopez beat Britain's Ben Whittaker to win the Olympic gold medal in men's light heavyweight boxing in Tokyo on Wednesday.
(Photo by Buda Mendes / Getty Images)
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Cuban welterweight Roniel Iglesias won his second Olympic gold medal on Tuesday, the first title at the Tokyo Games for Cuban boxing.
(Photo by Luis Robayo - Pool / Getty Images)
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Cuban boxer Lázaro Álvarez won the bronze medal in the men's featherweight category (52-57 kg).
(Photo by LUIS ROBAYO / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
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Gold medalists Serguey Torres Madrigal and Fernando Dayan Jorge Enríquez of Cuba celebrate on the podium after the final of the men's 1000m canoe doubles during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (Photo by PHILIP FONG / AFP via Getty Images)
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Mijaín López, from Cuba, won his fourth consecutive gold in Greco-Roman wrestling (130 kg category) and on August 2, 2021, he reached legends such as Carl Lewis, Michael Phelps and Al Oerter as the only athletes with four Olympic titles in the same event .
(Photo: Tom Pennington / Getty Images)
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Cuban Luis Alberto Orta Sánchez achieved the gold medal in the 60 kg Greco-Roman men's wrestling.
after beating Japanese Kenichiro Fumita in the final at the Tokyo Olympics on August 2, 2021. (Photo: JACK GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images)
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Cuban Yaime Pérez won the bronze medal in discus throw at the Tokyo Olympics on August 2, 2021. (Photo: BEN STANSALL / AFP via Getty Images)
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Leuris Pupo, silver medalist of the Cuban team, during the medal ceremony in the Men's 25m Pistol Shooting Finals.
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
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Cuban Juan Miguel Echevarría (left) won the silver medal and his compatriot Maykel Masso the bronze in the men's long jump at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium on August 2, 2021. (Photo: INA FASSBENDER / AFP via Getty Images)
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Cuban Idalys Ortiz poses with her silver medal during the podium ceremony for women's judo + 78kg.
(Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images)
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Cuban taekwondo player Rafael Yunier Alba Castillo won the bronze medal in the category of more than 80 kilos at the Tokyo Games, adding the first medal for the island's team.
(Photo: Maja Hitij / Getty Images)
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Ecuador's silver medalist Tamara Yajaira Salazar Arce poses during the medal ceremony of the 87 kg women's weightlifting competition.
(Photo by MOHD RASFAN / AFP via Getty Images)
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Neisi Patricia Dajomes Barrera of Ecuador poses with her gold medal on the podium after the 76 kg women's weightlifting competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Tokyo International Forum on August 1, 2021. (Photo: LUIS ACOSTA / AFP via Getty Images)
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Richard Carapaz of Ecuador poses with the gold medal he won in the men's road cycling event at Fuji International Speedway on the first day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on July 24, 2021 in Oyama, Shizuoka , Japan.
(Photo: Tim de Waele / Getty Images)
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Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas, winner of the gold medal, also celebrates her new world record after competing in the women's triple jump final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium on August 1, 2021. (Photo : ANDREJ ISAKOVIC / AFP via Getty Images)
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Venezuelan weightlifter Julio Rubén Mayora won the silver medal on July 28 and gave his country the first medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Mayorga got the silver medal in the 73kg weightlifting category by lifting a total of 346 kilos (156 + 190).
The Venezuelan desista had achieved bronze in the 2018 World Cup and was also Pan American champion of Lima 2019.
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Venezuela's Keydomar Giovanni Vallenilla Sánchez, silver medalist, poses on the podium during the victory ceremony of the men's 96 kg weightlifting competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Tokyo International Forum on July 31, 2021. (Photo: LUIS ACOSTA / AFP via Getty Images)
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Silver medalist Daniel Dhers of Team Venezuela poses on the podium after the BMX Freestyle men's park final on the ninth day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at Ariake Urban Sports Park on August 1, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
(Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
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Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico celebrates after winning gold in the 100-meter hurdles final in Tokyo 2020. (Martin Meissner / AP)
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Mariana Pajón has done it one more time, she has risen to the Olympus of sporting glory, winning the silver medal for Women's BMX.
(Photo: Francois Nel / Getty Images)
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Colombian Carlos Ramírez won bronze in the Men's BMX final after finishing third in the race.
(Photo: Francois Nel / Getty Images)
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Luis Javier Mosquera Lozano of Colombia poses with the silver medal during the men's 67 kg weightlifting medal ceremony on the second day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Tokyo International Forum on July 25, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
(Photo: Chris Graythen / Getty Images)
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Crismery Santana of the Dominican Republic team poses with the bronze medal during the medal ceremony for Weightlifting - Group A Women's 87kg.
(Photo by Chris Graythen / Getty Images)
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From left to right, silver medalists Marileidy Paulino, Lidio Andrés Feliz, Anabel Medina Ventura and Alexander Ogando, from the Dominican Republic team, pose on the podium during the medal ceremony for the 4x400m mixed relay final in on the ninth day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Olympic Stadium on August 1, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
(Photo: Ryan Pierse / Getty Images)
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Zacarias Bonnat Michel of the Dominican Republic poses with his silver medal on the podium at the victory ceremony of the men's 81 kg weightlifting competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Tokyo International Forum on July 31, 2021. (Photo: LUIS ACOSTA / AFP via Getty Images)
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Aremi Fuentes Zavala of Mexico poses with the bronze medal during the women's 76 kg weightlifting medal ceremony on the ninth day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Tokyo International Forum on August 1, 2021 in Tokyo Japan.
(Photo: Chris Graythen / Getty Images)
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Mexicans Alejandra Orozco (left) and Gabriela Agundez won bronze in synchronized diving.
(Photo: ATTILA KISBENEDEK / AFP via Getty Images)
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Alejandra Valencia (left) and Luis Álvarez (right), from Mexico, pose with the bronze medal of the mixed team competition on the first day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Yumenoshima Park archery range, on July 24, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
(Photo: Justin Setterfield / Getty Images)
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Ignacio Mendy and Gaston Revol celebrate Argentina's triumph against Great Britain in rugby, which earned the Argentines the bronze medal, the country's first at Tokyo 2020. (Photo: Dan Mullan / Getty Images)
Why divers bathe
According to Brehmer, the answer comes down to one thing.
"Divers shower between dives, usually just to keep themselves and their muscles warm," he says.
They are generally rinsed with water that is hotter than the pool.
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Indoor diving pools like the one at the Tokyo Aquatic Center must keep the water temperature at least 26 degrees Celsius (78.8 degrees Fahrenheit), according to FINA, the governing body that sets the rules for international sports competitions. aquatic.
"Generally, after a diver takes a dive, they will have to wait a good amount of time before their next dive," says Brehmer.
"The ... air temperature on the pool deck can be a bit cold, so the shower can help keep the muscles warm. Diving is such a precise and fast sport, if the diver gets a little chilly and tense, it could really affect their performance. "
Brazilian diver Ingrid Oliveira takes a shower after competing in the women's 10-meter platform diving preliminary at the Tokyo Olympics on August 4.
Why they use tiny towels
Staying warm is also one of the reasons swimmers and divers wear tiny towels called
chamois
- pronounced "shammy" - at big events.
The towels are portable and extremely water absorbent, allowing divers to dry quickly and stay warm, says Brehmer.
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Staying dry also means safer and more competitive dives.
"When divers are circling in the air, they hold onto the legs and squeeze very hard," he says.
"If your legs are wet, then there is a good chance that ... your hands will slip and come out of the dive early, which could result in injuries and almost always lower scores."
Olympic diver Quan Hongchan of China competes in the women's 10-meter platform jumping final during the Tokyo Olympics on August 5.
Why do they tape their bodies together?
Olympic divers perform mind-blowing stunts in deep pools at high speed, and keeping their muscles healthy is a crucial part of their success.
Any stress on the movement of the muscles can lead to drastic results.
That's another reason why some divers use duct tape on their knees, back, or shoulders.
It is similar to the tape worn by beach volleyball players, tennis players, and other athletes.
"I was a little nervous," said Quan Hongchan after winning gold for China in diving at age 14.
"It basically just provides a little extra support and can relieve pain in muscles, joints and ligaments," says Brehmer.
In a highly competitive sport where the slightest advantage can mean the difference between a medal and finishing sixth, many athletes leave nothing to chance.
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