cliff diving : 184 videos

85kph, aesthetic gravity-defying freefall – cliff diving is the purest extreme sport on earth. The world’s best cliff divers launch from 27 meters with no protection at all, except their concentration, skill and physical control. Let’s dive into the science of what the body endures upon a monumental 85kmph impact. The impact on the body is enormous and a cliff diver has to handle it over and over. What the divers need to do in the air in order to find a vertical position when they hit the wat...

Artem Silchenko’s outstanding performance left the huge crowd of people that had gathered below, around and opposite the opera speechless. The Russian had just nailed his back armstand with two and a half somersaults and two and a half twists for 10s from the judges. The dive has a Degree of Difficulty of 6.1 and, with its blind entry, it's one of the most exhilarating and jaw-dropping manoeuvres. The view across the water through royal Amalienborg, from which spectators were spotted, impress...

Copenhagen is the first of three new locations on the 2013 calendar and hosts the world elite of cliff diving for the first time ever on June 22. During the first venue check it was the divers, though, who were left speechless, when they saw the spectacular view from the roof of the Opera House. After a great kick off in France, won by Silchenko (RUS) and the English duo of Gary Hunt and Blake Aldridge who completed the podium, long-time favourite Orlando Duque (COL) has promised to come back...

Despite all of the their professionalism, which is typical for the attitude and demeanor of the ten official divers taking part in the 2013 season the final decision – to dive or not to dive – always remains the big question right up to the very last second. Fear plays a significant role in this highly thrilling game. Only the appropriate awareness of the danger can ensure the desired happy ending: a great and safe dive. © Red Bull Media House

Artem Silchenko won the first competition of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2013 in France, La Rochelle. The podium is completed by three-time World Series champion Gary Hunt in second and qualifier Blake Aldridge in third place. La Rochelle presented itself in the best way and welcomed the huge crowd of 70,000 enthusiastic spectators with bright sunshine. © Red Bull Media House

In the next five months, and during eight competitions, the cliff diving elite will launch from almost three times the Olympic diving height in venues all over the globe, showing their most spectacular and difficult tricks, and overcoming rational fear to impress the judges and spectators alike. And to spice it all up, the 2013 World Series comes to its scariest location first: La Rochelle, France. © Red Bull Media House

Wadi Shab lies in Niyabat Tiwi, a village between the capital, Muscat, and the town of Sur. Easy to reach from the Qurayyat-Sur highway; it has at least seven pools of emerald green water and is studded with dramatic boulders. One of the pools is in a cave where light streams in dramatically from above and there are fantastic echoes heard when one swims in it. Kingfishers add glorious splashes of colour. © Red Bull Media House

American's flying victory in UK cliff diving debut Steven LoBue (USA) takes first victory ever at Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series stop in Wales, UK! Saturday’s penultimate stop of the 2012 World Series was a debut in many regards. It was the first stop on British soil, showed the highest standard of diving that the competition has seen so far and brought a new winner to the podium - the 2012 qualifier from Muncie, Indiana, only arrived late for the first round of competition but stepped...

With his victory at the US leg of the World Series, reigning champion Gary Hunt is more than ready to perform in front of his home crowd at the sixth stop on the 2012 calendar. The 14-strong field of the world’s best cliff divers will exclusively focus on their performances off the 27m platform into the 15°C fresh Celtic Sea at the ‘Blue Lagoon’, the innocently and idyllically looking location for the UK debut. © Red Bull Media House

Following its hugely successful debut in Boston in 2011, the cantilever roof of the Institute of Contemporary Art building will see the athletes exhibit their skills once again this year. After four stops in Europe, the World Series leaps over the Atlantic and touches down in one of America’s oldest cities to provide the cliff divers with this season’s sole urban setting. Artem Silchenko (RUS) has earned the most points for his diving art in the last two competitions and Orlando Duque (COL) l...

They are said to be the best in the world and they keep getting better with every competition, every challenge they are confronted with. The athletes of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series are well trained, physically fit and technically skilled divers; each of them. And still, there are some who seemingly have the winning gene and barely miss a podium, while others might place second one day and ninth the next. Some are obviously more affected by challenging conditions whereas others jump...

From an almost round volcanic islet on the Azores to a near-perfect rectangular blowhole in Ireland – the location for the fourth stop of the World Series is laden with myth as much as it is out of the ordinary. A sea serpent is said to make its presence felt with the help of screeching, stormy winds. The legendary Serpent’s Lair on Ireland’s Aran Islands provides the perfect pool for the world’s cliff diving elite at the halfway stage. Three different winners in as many competitions make the...

Gary Hunt and Orlando Duque preview the first round of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2012. The divers have arrived in the old town of Bonifacio, on the French island of Corsica, ahead of the first of seven stops which will crown the winner of what promises to be the most competitive World Series to date.

In 2012 this unique championship will once more be the platform for the world's most dizzying dives in seven stops between June and September in Europe, North America and the Middle East. In the blink of an eye, gravity lets the diver's bodies fall the equivalent of eight stories, reaching speeds beyond 85kph. With no protection whatsoever, and animated with thrilling tricks, the hand-picked athletes rely on their professionalism and experience as their bodies turn into Formula One torsos. Wh...

Filmed by Jules Guarneri & Gil Mayencourt Edited by Jules Guarneri Soundtrack : "Baby Please Don't Go" Performed by Them "The Final View" Performed by Nujabes "In Dreams" Performed by Roy Orbison "Something for Nothing" Performed by MFSB "Dance of the Dream Man (Instrumental)" Performed by Angelo Badalamenti

ON TOP OF THE WORLD The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series’ seal of quality 12 hand-picked athletes, eight competitions and 26 metres between take-off and landing – these were the main facts back in 2009 when the first World Series was launched. Ever since then this series of competitions has created a massive impact on the audience as well as the world of diving. After 21 successful competitions in three seasons, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series’ essentials remain the same, but the...

Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2011 comes to Ukraine for season’s grand finale Exactly one hundred years after Russian architect Leonid Sherwood started to build it in 1911, the “Swallow’s Nest” stages the culminating competition in the World Series’ third year. The ornate castle near Yalta on the Crimean shore in southern Ukraine provides the perfect backdrop for the crowning of this year’s champion. Gary Hunt from England will once again take the highest cliff diving honours after 20...

Gary Hunt wins penultimate stop of Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2011 in Boston A big cheering crowd, high level diving and a double touch down - Boston Harbour was the perfect setting for another glorious victory for English diver Gary Hunt, who secured his second overall World Series title today with a fourth consecutive win. In his homeland, American Kent De Mond came back to the podium after a hard season with only 2.15 points separating him and second-placed Artem Silchenko, from...

What makes the rookie divers of the 2011 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series tick and what they have to learn Ever since the first stop in May 2009 it has been the most prestigious series of competitions featuring the world’s best high divers. Being part of the chosen dozen is tantamount to absolute mental strength, physical ability and a high level of consistency. This year’s edition of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series saw three new faces. Each of them coming from a different backgro...

Sports-mad Boston welcomes the 6th stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2011 on August 20th The Boston Celtics, the Boston Red Sox, the Boston Bruins and the New England Patriots – this city has it all. America’s major sports are all represented by four highly successful teams. This weekend a new sport will touch down in the capital of Massachusetts. The world’s most prestigious series of cliff diving competitions comes to town as the athletes of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World S...

CLOSE COMPETITION AND CLOSED ROADS Hunt collects Italian victory in Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2011 It was an armada of motorboats and surfboards, and spectators on the surrounding beach that saw the closest battle this season. Reigning champion Gary Hunt had the honour of being awarded winner of this Sunday’s competition round of the 2011 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Italy, ahead of Russia’s Artem Silchenko and Czech diver Michal Navratil. The Scaliger Castle in Malcesine...

How fit is a cliff diver? How important is physical fitness for dives from 27 metres? What’s the best recipe to become and stay high diving fit? Are the divers’ work outs useful for ordinary people as well? © Red Bull Media House

It is a place for active people and a beautiful place: Lake Garda offers a wide variety of sports in the water and on the surrounding mountains. Cliff diving will add one more sportive attraction to the region. After the chilly stop in the north of France, the almost Mediterranean climate welcomes the world’s best divers. How will they start into the second half of the World Series’ third season? So far we saw dominant victories, new faces on the podium and rookies and wildcard divers in th...

Pasta, pizza, mama mia, espresso - next stop Malcesine, Italy! The divers and the Italian way of life. Last season’s competition in Italy saw Artem Silchenko on the top podium and Series’ dominator Gary Hunt crashed after he world premiered his running take off and still misses an Italian victory in his collection. Maybe the new location at Lake Garda will fill this gap… © Red Bull Media House

‘Brilliant Brit’ takes second consecutive win in France 70,000 spectators, winds up to 60kph and 12 athletes competitive to the core – La Rochelle added a few more superlatives to its collection during the 4th stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, while Gary Hunt (GBR) lead the dozen of high divers who defied the harsh conditions in the early evening hours on Saturday, June 18. Friday prevented take-off from the 27.5m platform and thus the competition was decided in three rounds....

With every dive from 27 metres the athletes have to overcome their fears anew. How do they cope with this vital feeling? Crashes and bad landings don’t keep the high divers from pushing their sport’s limits. Where does this urge to leave an eight-storey building without any protection come from? © Red Bull Media House

The ‘Grande Nation’ is eagerly waiting for its high diving hero’s first podium finish: Cyrille Oumedjkane has proven his claim for the top 3 this season. Will his countrymen’s support help him to step on the podium? It will be a special stop for the Frenchman but likewise for his competitors as well as the set-up crew: The venue provides the World Series’ highest take-off point and the water-tide offers a limited time frame for the competition. Additionally, the platform construction must n...

The French port of La Rochelle will host Red Bull Cliff Diving competition for the third successive year this Saturday when the stars of the World Series launch themselves off a 27.5 metre-high platform. Watch it live on Red Bull TV!

Crackling tension, personal expectations, and probably a new leader board - the halfway stop of the 2011 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series will reveal all that soon and invites you to watch it live on TV and web!

How does Olympic Diving compare to High Diving Listening to their individual stories, the first steps were very similar: No matter how high your ambition and talent takes you in the future, it all starts at the side of the pool. Stopovers on various heights are part of the way up for both, but as soon as it comes to the definition of ‘top’, opinions start to differ. The appreciation of each other, though, is as high as it can get. Ahead of the 3rd stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Se...

Looking for new heroes. The absence of this season’s two-time winner Orlando Duque due to an injury will certainly rebound in the overall rankings. The so-called ‘Sunken Lake’ at Vouliagmeni will most probably be the place where a new face stands atop the podium of a Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series competition.

The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2011 continues at the birthplace of modern competitive sports, Athens, Greece, on Sunday, May 22 in an event you can see live on Red Bull TV. Just a stone’s throw away from Athens’ city centre where the Olympic spirit remains omnipresent, Gary Hunt, Artem Silchenko and Slava Polyeshchuk will be among those fighting it out for victory during the third stop of competition at Lake Vouliagmeni. Fittingly, it is also the occasion at which two-time Olympic g...

Stop 2 of Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2011 goes to Orlando Duque (COL) In the green heart of the Yucatán jungle, Colombia’s Orlando Duque got a second victory under his belt. After winning the kick-off competition in Rapa Nui, the nine-time world champion once more performed outstandingly, receiving two 10s from the judges. The root-covered sacred well in the eco-archaeological park of Cenote Ik Kil, Mexico, was the stunning location for the second stop of the 2011 World Series on Apri...

A MEXICAN DAY IN THE LIFE OF A CLIFF DIVER The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series gets into the rhythm for the second stop in Mexico Coming to Mexico means a change of pace. The day begins relaxed and the Latin American spirit and love for life builds up hourly before it peaks as the air cools down again late in the evening. This rhythm applies perfectly to the high diving elite who have come to the Yucatán Peninsula for the second competition of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series this...

The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2011 returns to the Yucatán Peninsula The root-covered sinkhole close to the archaeological site of Chichen Itza in Mexico has assumed an almost mythic dimension. Not only for the descendants of the Maya, but also for the high diving elite who are excited at returning to this truly stunning setting deep in the heart of the Yucatán jungle. Cenote Ik Kil was attributed sacred powers by the pre-Columbian cultures and is the venue for the second competition...

DUQUE DECIDES HEAVYWEIGHT BATTLE Orlando Duque wins first stop of Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2011 The navel of the world – that’s what Rapa Nui is for its inhabitants and that’s what the remote island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean was for the world elite of high diving this weekend. The kick-off competition of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2011 was affected by the Tsunami warning but blessed by the Manu Tara’s – the lucky bird’s – presence and watched by an eager audien...

MOTHER NATURE DICTATES THE PROGRAMME Tsunami alert for the participants of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2011 It was one of the days on which Mother Nature showed her power and forced humankind to obey her wills. Friday morning an 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck Japan triggering a ten-metre tsunami and a tsunami warning for the whole Pacific rim. The small group of high divers preparing for competition in Rapa Nui on the weekend was amongst the affected people and still lucky to...

TWELVE HIGH DIVERS IN GLORIOUS ISOLATION The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2011 kicks off 3,500km west of mainland Chile 887 moais spread over 163 square kilometres and 12 high divers on a 27-metre platform – the heavyweights of Rapa Nui will bear witness to the heavyweights of cliff diving at the 2011 World Series’ first competition on Chile’s most westerly point. One of the most remote and mystical places in the world has been chosen as the venue to kick off the third season. On East...

For the breathtaking three-second flights, covering at least 26.5 metres between take-off and water entry, extraordinary natural and demanding urban venues have been selected: kicking off in March in Rapa Nui (CHI), the World Series returns to Mexico (Yucatán) in April. The first competition on European soil takes place in Greece (Athens) in May, followed by France (La Rochelle) and Italy (Malcesine) in successive months. After a trip to the US (Boston) in August, the grand final is hosted in...

GARY HUNT: OUT OF THIS WORLD 2nd victory for the Briton in Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2010 in Yucatán His personal perception of cliff diving is "out of this world" and Gary Hunt's performance these days can also be described as not of this world: the 25-year-old's innovative style and creativity culminated in the second consecutive win at Sunday's competition of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2010 in Yucatán, Mexico. The exotic surrounding of Cenote Ik Kil was the perfect ven...

The PURITY and SPIRIT of the sport What makes cliff diving so fascinating? What makes the sport's spirit so strong? A pure sport in a pure location -- no technical gear, no extensive constructions, it's merely all about the body and mind. Besides a solid platform at a minimum height of 26m and 5m deep water these world-class sports competitions only ask for a lot of courage and body control. Is it the very simplicity of this high level sport that makes you addicted? How do you find the perfec...

Welcome to the Yucatan jungle! For the 2nd stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2010 the worlds best 12 high divers travel to the most remote and special venue - the mystical holes on the northern Yucatan Peninsula. La Quebrada in Acapulco has been famous for cliff diving since 1934 and was location for Hollywood movies with Elvis Presley, but modern competitive cliff diving at the highest sportive level will be presented from the 27m platform on Cenote Ik Kil. Surrounding the remot...

50,000 spectators, 27.50 metres, 14° water temperature and an English winner - the sport’s most distinguished series of competitions started with the victory of cliff diver Gary Hunt. On May 15 the historic port of La Rochelle hosted the eagerly-anticipated high diving battle and it exceeded all expectations. The spectators’ never-ending cheering motivated the athletes to flaunt their jaw-dropping leaps from Saint Nicolas Tower. Orlando Duque (COL) and Kent De Mond (USA) finished second and t...

THE MIND THE BODY La Rochelle is the first stop in the fresh season, the divers are not used yet to the extraordinary height and the cold and hard water combined with strong winds challenges them a lot. The diver has to be ready in his mind to execute a perfect and creative leap from the edge.

HIGH DIVING IN “LITTLE CLIFF” Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series kicks off in La Rochelle in May 2010 The highest platform, the coldest water, the most eagerly-anticipated competition – the French city of La Rochelle compiles a long list of superlatives for high diving. After overwhelming success in its first year, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series will again kick off in the town called “little cliff” which, after heavy winter storms, is now ready to host this dazzling competition. It wa...

French cliff divers defend Fort Boyard from British conquest. In the early 19th century it was Napoleon who built the massive Fort off the French coast to protect his country from British invaders. 200 years later French world class high divers Hassan Mouti (FRA) and Cyrille Oumedjkane (FRA) met their British rival Gary Hunt for a trial of strength only a few weeks before the start of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2010 in La Rochelle on May 15.