Structure

The short story “Dip in the Pool” by Roald Dahl follows a chronological plot structure, presenting the events from two consecutive days aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic. The narrative begins in media res on the third day of the cruise. 

The narrative can be split into two parts marked by the two different days. The first part shows Botibol on the first day while he is planning his bet and taking part in the auction. The second part follows Botibol on the following day when he realizes his bet was wrong and takes drastic action to try to win the auction. 

The moment Botibol dives overboard and calls for help represents the climax of the story:

He climbed up on to the wide wooden toprail, stood there poised, balancing for three terrifying seconds, the...