Standing Tall At Sentosa

Precision-built high diving, open water venues set for World Aquatics C'ships

- David Lee

Other than the integrated resort, theme parks and sandy beaches, visitors to Sentosa now have a new attraction to marvel at, following the completion of a 37m-high diving tower, the first of its kind in Singapore, ahead of the July 11-Aug 3 World Aquatics Championships (WCH).

At Palawan Green on July 7, the organisers gave the media a tour of the high diving and open water swimming facilities, which had passers-by whispering in awe and curiosity.

As befitting of a daredevil sport which requires male athletes to hurl themselves off a 27m platform and female competitors to take a plunge from 20m before entering a 6m-deep cylindrical pool at speeds of up to 85kmh, the temporary high diving structure required precision engineering from its makers.

Six metres from the ground, the giant pool with a 17m diameter opens at a deck that accommodates about 600 spectators when the high diving competition takes place from July 24 to 27.

Marcus Ng, project director of Innovez Engineering – the firm behind the pool's construction, shared that 108 curved steel panels, weighing a total of 21 tonnes, were held together by 6,400 bolts using a digital torque wrench to form the cylindrical pool.