I grew up in Wisconsin, where there are many lakes and many diving injuries. I've done a lot of diving, and I don't believe a word of that stuff about not breaking the surface of still water. It's just a film of water a few molecules thick.

I do think there could be something to the statement above that it is hard to judge the depth of still water. A sensible person would go by the numbers written on the side of the pool, not the look of the water.

However, the very words 'diving into a lake' give me the willies. Read this:

"Diving Injuries
Giuseppina Di Meglio, MD*

* University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry Rochester, NY
Diving injuries are an important cause of spinal cord injury (SCI) in adolescents. Each year, 10,000 to 20,000 people suffer SCIs. Adolescents aged 15 to 19 years are at highest risk. Motor vehicle accidents and sports injuries—two thirds of which are diving injuries—are the leading causes of SCI in this age group. Boys are at higher risk for all types of SCI and are up to 18 times more likely than girls to sustain an SCI while diving [RR = 17.9 95%, CI 7.6 to 42.1]. Between one third and one half of diving injuries are associated with alcohol consumption. Other illicit substances probably contribute to the risk of injury."


Don't dive into water unless it's clear, unless you know how deep it is, and unless you know there are no rocks, abandoned cars, or other hard objects in it.