Enough of all this fun and frivolity; let's have a bit of gravity.

And there's no doubt the pull of the earth has had a magnetic attraction on the people of Edinburgh. When tickets for the Games' diving programme went on sale they sold out faster than almost any other events.

A curious scenario for a sport that, for all its artistic impact, is still at the rather esoteric end of the spectrum. Or rather was, for the emergence of Tom Daley - from sporting anonymity rather than the closet - propelled diving into the front rank. And then a bit further, when Daley hosted Splash!, the celebrity diving programme that was one of last year's unlikeliest television hits.

Diving purists might have scoffed, but the ripples from Splash! soon spread outwards. As a consequence, diving clubs were inundated with enquiries - more, in fact, than they could actually deal with.

"It's more popular than ever at the moment," said Ayr Diving Club coach Peter Smith. "We're really feeling the effects of Tom Daley and that programme."

All well and good, but Scotland has only four diving pools, and they could get rather busy if everyone jumped at once. "We had to start a waiting list," Smith explained. "We couldn't cope with the demand."

On top of everything else, there is a ludicrous imbalance in the location of diving facilities. Smith's pool in Ayr is the only one in the west of Scotland, the three others being sited in Aberdeen, Dundee and, of course, at the Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh.

Aberdeen and Edinburgh are Olympic class pools, equipped with 10m diving platforms, but the highest boards at Ayr and Aberdeen are 5m. Health and safety concerns have also all but obliterated the old seaside lido pools where the divers of yesteryear learned their craft. Peter Heatly - now Sir Peter - taught himself the art that brought him three Commonwealth golds in the 1950s at Portobello's famous facility.

The sport that Heatly pioneered was given its first massive boost when the Commonwealth pool was built to host the 1970 Games. When the event was over, a group of around 50 enthusiasts formed the Edinburgh Diving Club, the organisation that is still the focus for the capital's enthusiasts. Heatly, now 90, is the club's patron.

Jane Ogden was in at the club's foundation, and is still there more than 40 years later, her interest in diving having evolved from being a competitor, to a coach, to an administrator.

"We got lots of calls after Splash! was on the television, but interest had already been growing because of Daley and the Olympics," said Ogden. "Of course, a few people come and try it then drift away for one reason or another, but a lot of the newcomers have stayed.

"It's very busy now, and it's a lot more organised as well. At one time you could just climb up on to a board and launch yourself in, but safety issues mean you can't really do that any more. What we've got in Edinburgh is a fantastic facility, one of the best in Britain. But we really need more like this in Scotland."

For a number of years, no Scottish divers could reach the qualifying standards required to take part. The situation has improved, though, and Scottish hopes are now being carried by 17-year-old James Heatly - grandson of Sir Peter - and 20-year-old Grace Reid, who will compete in the men's and women's 1m and 3m springboard events.

Reid competed at Delhi in 2010. The youngest member of the Games squad, she startled everyone by finishing sixth in the 3m event. Back then, her team-mates called her Wee Gracie as she stood just over 5ft 3in, but a late growth sport has since added almost four inches to her frame. Today's brainteaser question is whether this means she reaches the water more quickly.

China has become the world's diving powerhouse, but England, Australia and Canada jostle for supremacy in the Commonwealth context. Daley took double gold in Delhi in the 10m platform individual and synchronised events, and, for all the distractions he has in his life, he is still among the favourites.

And not just for gold. "He can rock a pair of tiny trunks with style," gasped the gay lifestyle magazine Attitude recently, breathlessly agreeing with their readers who placed him top of their Hot 100 poll.

That was for the second year running. Now, the only way is down.