Olympic divers say the mysteriously green pool water had a surprising benefit
The Rio Olympics ran into a small hiccup on Tuesday when the water in the diving pool mysteriously turned green.
Rio officials admitted to not knowing what caused the color change, but it mattered little in the end as the women's synchronized 10-meter diving final went on.
And while, aesthetically, the green, slimey water may not have looked appealing to jump head-first into, Canada's Meaghan Benfeito, who took home bronze, said it actually helped.
"It's not the same color as the sky so that was really on our side today," Benfeito said afterward.
China's Liu Huixia, who won the gold medal, shared a similar sentiment, saying, "When we were practicing to get used to this venue (the water) was always sky blue... But we're always mentally prepared for unexpected situations."
The difference was jarring. Here's the diving pool next to its bluer neighbor, the water polo pool.
And the view below the divers.
Though one diving official thinks the color may be due to algae, Rio hasn't officially named the cause. Divers surely would prefer the blue pool, but at least the green isn't all bad.