Messy pool

[Pootle]

Does anybody know or have heard of anybody splitting their stomach open by bellyflopping into a swimming pool from a high board or is this just a myth?

[woofgang]

given that between your skin and your stomach, there is skin, fat (too much in my case) and I think 3 yes 3 layers of muscle, what do you think???

[Pootle]

Alright..its just a question!!!

[andy hughes]

It is a myth, probably started by people who wanted to impress on youngsters that bellyflopping into still water is dangerous, but only in terms of msuscle damage. You notice on high board competition diving that the surface is constantly being broken by a special small hose - it's for this reason. If youjump from a board high enough, and land awkwardly enugh, you can break limbs and rupture internal organs. So, not it's not true, but it's still not a good idea.

[Chillum]

Aged  18, a group of friends and I decided to go swimming, meeting in the pub first, of course. No food and six pints later, we arrived at the Bon Accord baths in Aberdeen. Full of dutch courage, I decided to leap off of the (very high) top diving board for the first time. Screaming "Geronimo" at the top of my voice I hit the water at full pelt with my gob still wide open. I surfaced minus every filling in my mouth and two front teeth. What a laff.

[smudge]

Well, I bet you'll never do that again Chillum!

My older sister dived off the top board at her local pool. She landed straight onto a very silly man who had decided to swim out beneath the diving board without first checking above him. My sister ended up in hospital for a week with a badly broken nose & concussion. The man had a dislocated shoulder!

The moral of the story is: 'Look Before You Leap'

[ali_alic]

reckon its along the same lines as "elbows poking eyes out"

[Lynn_M]

I can remember when a lad from the school-party whom I was with, did a belly-flop. He didn't split his stomach open, but his trunks came down. It's a wonder that no-one in the pool drown that day, as we were all helpless with laughter; dispite the fact that this lad was in agony!

[Pippa68]

Definately a legend of the urban variety!