The platform used by men and women at the Olympics is a flat, rigid, non-slip surface elevated 10 meters (roughly 32 feet, 9 1/2 inches) above the water. The height is comparable to that of a three-story building. The platform is at least 20 feet long and 6 1/2 feet wide.

Platform divers hit the water at speeds between 30 and 35 miles per hour. Repeating this impact too often can result in injury. 

All modern major diving competitions, including the Olympic Games, utilize springboards made by the manufacturer Duraflex. Duraflex boards are made out of a single piece of aircraft-grade aluminum, coated with a slip-resistant substance. 

The springboard used at the Olympics sits 3 meters (9 feet, 10 inches) above and parallel to the water when stationary. From the pool's edge, the springboard extends five feet out over the water. The springboard is 0.5 meters (1 foot, 10 inches) wide and 16 feet long. 

Divers control and adjust the flexibility of the springboard with a fulcrum. Located at the mid-point of the board, the fulcrum can be moved so as to decrease or increase the amount of flexibility at the board's take-off end. Most Olympic-caliber divers prefer to roll the fulcrum all the way back from the board's take-off end to maximize the board's flexibility, allowing divers to launch themselves as high as possible. 

The pool into which Olympic divers dive (also known as a diving well) must be a minimum of 5m (16ft) deep.

In the Olympic diving venue, there are continually running showers and bubbling hot tubs for divers to use between dives. This is so the divers can stay warm and keep muscles loose during long waits between dives.

Divers often have a personal miniature towel they keep with them during competition. These are usually chamois (pronounced "shammy") towels, a highly-absorbent material made from sheep leather that dries thoroughly and also can be quickly wrung-out and dried.

Men's and women's synchronized diving, in which same-gender pairs compete from the 3m springboard and the 10m platform, made its Olympic debut at the 2000 Games. In the synchronized springboard event, teammates dive off adjacent boards at the same time; in the synchronized platform event, they dive from the same platform. Synchronized diving is judged both on the ability of the divers to stay in sync, but also on how well they execute the dives.