The competition was actually held from both 10 metre and 5 metre platforms. Divers performed a running plain dive and a backwardsomersault from the 5 metre platform, a running plain dive and a standing plain dive from the 10 metre platform, and three dives of the competitor's choice from the 10 metre platform. The voluntary dives were selected from a list of 14 options. Each judge gave a score between 0 and 10 points, in increments of half a point, for each dive. The scores for the voluntary dives were multiplied by the degree of difficulty. No degree of difficulty multiplier was used for the compulsory dives. The dive scores from each judge were summed and divided by 3, with the three judges' results added to give a final score. However, the final scores were not technically determinative ; after the scores were calculated, each judge ranked the competitors and the competition was decided on a point-for-place system with the competitor with the lowest total ranking from the three judges winning. Final scores were used as tie-breakers if this aggregate ranking was tied. In no case was the point-for-place result different for any round from the final scores, however; the Official Report contains only the final scores and not the ordinal rankings from the judges. Indeed, it appears that "the ordinal scores are not recorded in any source" and "the individual judges' scores are not known, so it is not possible to reconstruct the ordinal placements." The competition was held over three rounds. The first round consisted of 5 groups of between 4 and 6 divers each; the top 2 divers in each group advanced to the semifinals. The semifinals consisted of 2 groups of 5 divers each. The top 2 divers in each group advanced to the final. The final featured 5 divers.
Results
First round
The two divers who scored the greatest number of points in each group of the first round advanced to the semifinals.
Group 1
Rank
Diver
Nation
Score
Notes
1
81.8
2
76.0
3
74.1
4
69.7
5
68.0
Group 2
Rank
Diver
Nation
Score
Notes
1
78.4
2
73.95
3
65.2
4
Group 3
Rank
Diver
Nation
Score
Notes
1
68.9
2
67.3
3
64.8
4
57.7
5
56.5
Group 4
Cane landed poorly in one of his dives, passing out in the water. Hjalmar Johansson, who had won group 2 and would eventually take the gold medal, rescued him. Cane "was quickly revived and sustained no major injuries,", but "was so seriously shaken as to be unable to leave his bed for some days." This incident led to calls to ban double somersaults. Double somersaults do not appear to have been permitted again until 1928.
Rank
Diver
Nation
Score
Notes
1
79.2
2
76.8
3
73.1
4
65.70
Group 5
Rank
Diver
Nation
Score
Notes
1
73.55
2
69.5
3
62.8
4
57.6
5
54.5
6
53.15
Semifinals
The two divers from each semifinal with the highest scores advanced to the final. Following a protest, a third diver from the second semifinal, George Gaidzik, was also included in the final. One of the judges had given Gaidzik dive scores of 0, asserting that Gaidzik was receiving coaching from a teammate signaling from the ground; the American team protested successfully, resulting in Gaidzik advancing along with the two top divers.
