I may be wrong but I think the pool will be too narrow to have a "safe" diving zone. Also, at 32' long, the shallow end is pretty small for activities. The amount of area required to make a deep end 8' for diving, even without a dive stand is substantial.

Sports pools are a ton of fun. I been in and serviced many.

Kids are going to jump in from everywhere and with most any pool. That's usually ok and normal behavior. I just remind my kids not to play like WWE Superstars.

There are very few situations that a safety cover can't be installed.

The sport pools are great ... I build 6-8 a year they allow for a pool thats 85% usable. volleyball, basketball.. etc... my customers seem to love them... in fact I'm getting ready to build another... If you wanted to go with a traditional setup with no diving board I suggest 3-6 or 3-7... the kids will be able to safely dive off the side as they get older. Thanks

Safely dive & sport pool don't go together at all. Too many spinal and head injuries from diving in too shallow of a pool.

Can the kids jump in? Of course. If you make a feet first, no exceptions rule - you'd be fine. No head-first diving. Period. Its not worth it without a proper diving well.

Here is a link that might be useful: Spinal injuries in aquatic environment

6 -7 feet is too shallow for diving. 8 feet is minimal, and even that us big kids have to pull up.
Like someone said, either a sport pool, or a pool designed for jumping and diving.

Thanks for the feedback.
Poolguynj & topfiftybuilder: good to hear your comments that a sport pool would be a fun pool, that made me feel better about it. Do the total dimensions as well as the depths seem on target for a good sports pool(see first post)?

Also topfiftybuiler: would you explain the comment about it being 85% usable?

As far as the diving goes I guess I wasn't too clear-- We would either build a sport pool- with No Diving-- or a traditional pool with shallow end/deep end.

thanks again...

I personally like a 3.5 to 5 foot depth range in a sports pool. It helps keep the bigger kids from using their height when playing hoops and volleyball and encourages passing in water polo.

Our pool is 18 x 34 rectangle with a 6' baja shelf and an automatic pool cover.

It is 6'deep in the middle and 4' at either end. Perfect for sunning, swimming, pool frisbee and cannon balls. No diving. If you want it for volleyball 6' is too deep. Better at 5', but then you'll be a little too shallow for cannon balls and jumping in. Also consider how often you would play volley ball... probably not nearly as much as general pool play and jumping in.

Our sun shelf sticks out 6' and leaves 12' width for laps and pool play. A little cozy, but doable. I love the depths and dimensions and if I had to do it over again the only change I would make would be a 5' shelf.

Personally I wouldn't want a shallow to deep end pool because it's not as welcoming for general pool play. So keep in mind your depth is a personal choice.

14' should be fine for your purposes.

Here is a link that might be useful: Our Pool Photos

I suppose I'll be the dissenting opinion.

We had a sport pool at our last house, I greatly disliked it from the beginning, and we outgrew it within 3 years. My kids were 9, 8, and 4 when we moved in. The pool was great for them at that age, but I never liked it. I hated that to jump in, I had to scrunch my legs up. I hated the sides being too shallow.

The kids (and their friends) grew quickly. Half of the time spent "swimming" was really spent jumping in/getting out, jumping in/getting out. As they grew, that became less and less fun for them.

I can count on one hand how many times we played volleyball. (Exactly twice, both games lasted only about 10 minutes.)

We bought a house with a diving pool and couldn't be happier. The kids are 16, 14, and 10 right now, and ALL of them still use the pool. The number one activity is STILL getting out/jumping in, only now we can all do that, and it's much more fun.

My last pool had a slide, and I recently asked the kids and their friends who were over swimming if they liked our old pool better, or the new one. I thought maybe they'd say the old one, because the slide did get a lot of usage. But across the board, they all said they liked the new pool better.

I think you have to ask yourself how your family enjoys the pool. If you're a lounging, volleyball/football playing sort of family, you'll probably be thrilled with a sport pool. But if you're like us, much preferring to jump in, dive to the bottom, swim under each others' legs, etc., you'll find yourself longing for a deeper pool.

Just my $.02. :)

I'm with Reno fan. I grew up with a diving pool and after I was married, my parents moved and put in a sport pool. My in-laws also have a sport pool. We put in a diving pool because I remembered how much fun it was as a kid. Now that my kids have been in both, they prefer the diving pool, hands down! It is still fun for me as an adult to dive in rather than jump.

We're a diving pool kind of family also. Our philosophy is "a swimming pool has to be fun". Obviously fun for our family may be different than another family's idea of fun.

Our children are 9, 5 and 3 and jumping from the rocks 6 feet in the air and sliding on the 72 foot waterslide never gets old for kids of any age, including grandparents!

I also worked a 28 feet by 14 feet by 3.5 feet deep volleyball and basketball court into our free-form design to have the flexibility for these activities. But our family is like reno fan's, we seldom play these sports in the pool due to more enjoyment from the other activities.

Hope this helps!

Cin77: we too are going for a sport pool but excavator came up with an alternative to soften the transition area and although there is no water yet, we think it's a great solution. (see aquariuslady post and pics). My kids are a little older than yours and yet I know for a fact they will be jumping in and out and playing games a lot more than diving (too dangerous anyways) and/or swimming laps.

Poolmissy: what a gorgeous pool!
How deep is your tanning shelf? The lady (you?) seems so comfortbale reading in those chairs ;-) that will soon be me and I can't wait.

Aquarius..

Thanks for the comments... yes that is me... the shelf is 18" deep. Perfect for keeping the bum wet and reading a book in a chair. Sometimes I use a noodle to float my feet like a foot rest. Very comfy.

I also discovered that my powder coated cast iron end table fits perfectly between the chairs and sits just above the water line for food and drinks, yet heavy enough to not float.