The Sunshine Coast’s only deep-water diving facility is facing calls for a major upgrade amid concerns young athletes could increasingly leave the region to pursue elite pathways elsewhere.
Sunshine Coast Diving Club, based at Kawana Aquatic Centre, has launched a campaign to redevelop the ageing springboard facility, with coach Ben Fox warning the current setup is no longer keeping pace with the sport.
Mr Fox established the club in 2021 and has more than 30 years’ coaching experience internationally, including roles as national diving manager in Ireland and Wales and team manager for Team Wales at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
“We’re really proud of being part of the community there,” Mr Fox said.
“I’m sure people might be surprised to know that it is the only deep water diving facility between Brisbane and north, so we are keen to make sure we look after it and keep it on the coast.”
The current facility includes one 1m springboard and one 3m springboard, with the 3m event recognised as an Olympic discipline.
Mr Fox said parts of the infrastructure dated back decades.
“The whole infrastructure of the facility is dated,” he said.
“We’ve had boards donated from originally: they come out of the Sydney Olympic Park after the Games.
“We’ve had a second-hand board donated from Diving Queensland to upgrade the flexible part recently, but the actual whole infrastructure now needs a rebuild.”
Sunshine Coast News contacted Sunshine Coast Council, which owns the Kawana Aquatic Centre, and its spokesperson said: “Council representatives and the Kawana Aquatic Centre operator CVM are in discussions with the Sunshine Coast Diving Club to better understand the club’s proposal”.
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The club is seeking funding for a proposed $500,000 redevelopment, which would replace the existing setup with two new 1m springboards, two 3m springboards and a dedicated 3m platform.
Mr Fox said the vision was to create a synchronised diving-specific centre capable of supporting both community participation and high-performance pathways.
“From a club perspective, which means we can have more kids in the water, which makes it more sustainable,” he said.
“From a sporting perspective, it means we can support performance sport within the synchronised diving world.
“And from a community perspective, it means we’ve got more access for more kids on the day and still making sure that the sport is on the coast for a future generation.”
The club currently has about 70 regular participants and operates year-round, with training held up to five days a week and, during peak periods, twice daily.
Mr Fox said some Sunshine Coast divers were already travelling regularly to Brisbane or moving there permanently to continue their development.
“We’re already losing kids that have been selected on that pathway,” he said.
“We’ve had divers that have moved permanently down to Brisbane to just try and follow their sport.”
He said the travel demands added pressure on athletes and families trying to balance schooling, training and family life.
“From a longevity perspective, without the additional equipment, the longevity of the sport and those aspirations for those aspirational kids as well as the community, it’s a big impact,” Mr Fox said.
“We want to make sure that the pool stays as a diving pool for the community as long as possible.”
The club has applied for state government funding linked to Olympic pathway programs and is seeking a $125,000 co-contribution through a combination of club fundraising, sponsorship and support.
A GoFundMe campaign has also been launched to support the project.
