A 92.0 kg man drops from rest on a diving board 3.5m above the surface of the water and comes to rest 1.05 seconds after reaching the water. What force does the water exert on him?

So i want to find v(final) using Vf^2=Vi^2+2ad

and since a is acceleration due to gravity its -9.81m/s^2

so when i solve for vfinal i get a positive number but the solution said it was a negative. You actually have to do it to understand what im saying for the positive or negative unless your like realllyyy smart ! haha

Question

A 92.0 kg man drops from rest on a diving board 3.5m above the surface of the water and comes to rest 1.05 seconds after reaching the water. What force does the water exert on him?


So i want to find v(final)  using Vf^2=Vi^2+2ad   

and since a is acceleration due to gravity its -9.81m/s^2       

so when i solve for vfinal i get a positive number but the solution said it was a negative. You actually have to do it to understand what im saying for the positive or negative unless your like realllyyy smart ! haha