Red Bull Cliff Diving Magazine 2013

technical partner

www.redbullcliffdiving.com

“I love this sport because it offers a sort of feeling that you don’t really find anywhere else. It’s so pure. It’s just you and your body and what you trained your body to do. That almost flying feeling captured me.”

Steven LoBue, USA 3rd Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2012

“It was an incredible feeling to win the title again especially when you’re competing against the best divers in the world.”

“The World Series is more than just a cliff diving event. You have to be able to handle all the climbing up rocks, traverse through forests, go through rivers; you got to do all kinds of crazy stuff, that is what makes it so special and unique.”

David Colturi, USA, 5th Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2012

Gary Hunt, UK, Winner Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2010, 2011 and 2012

“Just like in any other sport, there is one event that every athlete wants to win. It’s kind of a prestige thing; for high divers the World Series is the top in our sport.”

Orlando Duque, COL, 2nd Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2012

Man versus gravity

no protection & no additional machinery Hitting speeds of

85kph in a swimsuit Tripling the height

of the Olympic high dive Executing acrobatic dives from jaw-dropping

27 metres in 3 seconds The world’s best cliff divers come to a cliff near you in 2013.

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introduction Cliff diving is the purest extreme sport on earth.

Ten of the world’s best cliff divers and up to four wildcards per stop launch from 27 metres without any protection, except their concentration, skill and physical control. They add flips and twists to their freefall and hit the water three seconds later.

As the pinnacle of cliff diving competitions, the 2013 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series is once again the platform for breathtaking action and beyond-belief complexity, spotlighting the sport’s top athletes as well as young talent. In its fifth season, the World Series title is decided during eight competitions across Europe, Asia, North and South America between May and October.

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kph, aesthetic gravity-defying freefall

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calendar

2013 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series around the world 6 UK South Wales Pembrokeshire / St. David’s

SEPTEMBER 13-14

5 USA Boston

Institute of Contemporary Art

AUGUST 23-24

8 THAILAND KRABI PROVINCE several locations

OCTOBER 21-26 7 BRAZIL NITÉROI, Rio Icaraí Beach

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SEPTEMBER 27-28

1 FRANCE La Rochelle St. Nicolas Tower

MAY 24-25

2 DENMARK Copenhagen Opera House

JUNE 21-22

4 ITALY Malcesine

Scaliger Castle

JULY 13-14

3 PORTUGAL AZORES, S. MIGUEL Vila Franca do Campo Islet

JUNE 28-29

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Review The history of cliff diving & the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series

Back In TIme It was from a rock made of lava that the last independent chief of the Hawaiian island of Maui, King Kahekili, jumped in the late 1700s. He used cliff diving as an initiation rite for his warriors. He challenged them to follow his example by jumping off cliffs in an effort to prove their loyalty.

Ever since then, the site of ‘Kahekili’s Leap’ has been regarded as the birthplace of the majestic sport of cliff diving. ‘Mana’ and ‘pono’, power and balance – these old Hawaiian principles were applied when lele kawa, diving off cliffs, was born on the islands in the midst of the Pacific back in the 18th century – principles that have been upheld and are today prerequisites for the sport of high diving.

Despite its long tradition, diving from heights of around 27m, the equivalent of an eight-storey building, remained largely in the shadows until the start of a series of competitions in May 2009, featuring the world’s best high divers. A series that has since pushed the limits of the sport and impressed close to half a million of spectators worldwide. Each year, a handpicked group of high divers from up to ten different countries between 23 and 46 years of age have competed in 28 competitions in the first four seasons.

2009 Eight competitions in eight countries, almost 300 dives and 7,488m of freefall at 85km/h in three-second flights – the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2009 and a selected group of the world’s best high divers set a real standard for what cliff diving is about and re-defined the limits of this sport. Never before have athletes jumped from the 26-metre platform in eight successive stops. Between May and September competitions were hosted in La Rochelle (FRA), Rotterdam (NED), Dubrovnik (CRO), Polignano a Mare (ITA), Antalya (TUR), Hamburg (GER), Sisikon (SUI) and Athens (GRE). With physical mastery and pure aesthetics on the platform, and crackling tension among the spectators, the traditional sport of cliff diving leapt into a new era. And it was nine-time world champion Orlando Duque, from Colombia, who was crowned

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winner after his fourth place finish in Athens on September 20, taking the World Series Champion title in a photo finish.

FINAL RESULTS 2009 1 Orlando Duque COL 2 Gary Hunt GBR 3 Artem Silchenko RUS

127 127 111

2010 In its second year, the Red Bull Cliff

Diving World Series took the next breathtaking step and led its protagonists in six competitions from Europe – La Rochelle (FRA), Kragerø (NOR), Polignano a Mare (ITA), Sisikon (SUI) – to Central America – Yucatán (MEX) – to the sport’s birthplace in Hawaii (USA) for the grand finale. After more than 20,000 miles travelled, almost 200 flights and 17,263.45 points awarded, the 2010 Red Bull Cliff Diving

World Series staged its final showdown at the Kawainui Falls on Hawaii’s ‚Big Island’ on September 12. In a spine-tingling competition, reigning World Series champion Orlando Duque took his first season victory and handed over the title to Gary Hunt. The year’s dominator took four wins out of six in only his third year of high diving and took the crown from Colombia to England.

Season II brought about innovations in the competition format as well as in the diving itself: new dives, more difficulty, more focus and an obvious challenge to the throne by an up-and-coming generation of high divers.

2012 Three years after its inception, the

2011 Between March and September the World Series travelled from the remote Island of Rapa Nui (Chile) to Central (Mexico) and North America (USA) and Europe (Greece, France, Italy, Ukraine). The third season saw three different winners in seven challenging competitions, featured three rookies and a lot of other surprises along the way: a tsunami evacuation in Easter Island, the injury of the two-times winner Orlando Duque in April, wind gusts up to 80kph in France on competition day, lightning in Boston that interrupted the opening round and a successful season wrap up on the shore of the Black Sea, where the ‘brilliant Brit’ Gary Hunt defended his overall title. At the great showdown on the Crimean peninsula Russia’s Artem Silchenko broke a personal and a World Series record by receiving three 10s for one dive and more than 500 points in total.

World Series is established as the pinnacle of high diving competition. In 2012 this unique championship was once more the platform for the world’s most dizzying dives in seven stops between June and September in Europe, North America and the Middle East. Eleven athletes competed head-to-head for the prestigious title and spread the spirit of cliff diving all over the globe. The showdown in Oman was a battle until the very last dive. Gary Hunt had just set the day’s high score of 173.25 points and the pressure was on Orlando Duque, who had the honour of taking the season’s last plunge at Wadi Shab. As soon as the Colombian had hit the water it was clear that the higher degree of difficulty had paid off for the Brit, as the judges awarded the same number of points to the two contenders, crowning Gary Hunt with the World Series championship title for the third time.

Almost 300 competition dives, seven different podium finishers and four winners’ faces in natural, urban, remote and unique venues made the fourth season the most awe-inspiring to date.

FINAL RESULTS 2011 1 Gary Hunt GBR 2 Artem Silchenko RUS 3 Michal Navratil CZE

FINAL RESULTS 2012 1 Gary Hunt GBR 2 Orlando Duque COL 3 Steven LoBue USA

FINAL RESULTS 2010 1 Gary Hunt GBR 2 Orlando Duque COL 3 Artem Silchenko RUS

109 94 80

125 91 77

860 840 740 7

fascination

AT ITS MOST EXHILARATING What is cliff diving?

On the one hand, it’s mere numbers: 27 metres, three seconds and at least 85kph.

On the other, it is pure, thrilling and exudes a fascination that is spreading around the globe. Put all together, cliff diving is the equivalent of jumping from an eight-storey building, accelerating faster than a sports car, twisting and flipping aesthetically, and then bringing yourself to a stop in less than five metres and walking away in perfect health.

Overwhelming and captivating.

The height for a World Series competition ranges between 26.5m and 28m for the simple reason that it allows the athletes to do more difficult dives during their three-second flights. With 25m, a lot of the dives the cliff diving elite do would be difficult to squeeze in, whereas every metre above 27, the impact increases massively. Gary Hunt, the threetime winner of the World Series, calls it “the compromise we found between enough height to fit in a lot of somersaults and twists and somewhere where our bodies can handle the impact.” Orlando Duque’s (COL) horizontal comparison makes things even clearer: “If you’re going 85kph in your car two metres takes you nothing, five metres takes you nothing, even 10 metres takes you nothing.

So if we went to 35m we’d gain 0.3 seconds and that’s not a lot of time to add to your manoeuvres; only the impact is much harder.

Even if we could go higher it would not add 8

much besides a higher risk and more danger to the diver. I think we have gotten to the level where there is still a lot of risk but somehow we can control it.”

After accelerating from 0-85kph within three seconds, the impact of the water entry brings the diver’s body to a complete stop in about a second. “You hit the water so fast that the water stops you equally as fast. If you just jump off the side of a pool and you go straight down you might probably go pretty deep. But if you go higher just the tension of the surface breaks it up and you scoop and only go three metres,” says US diver Kent De Mond.

For nine-time world champion Duque it’s an “extreme deceleration. Within one and a half seconds you’ve stopped. The body goes through a lot of tension upon entry and it hurts every time, even when you do a good dive, but you don’t feel it until much later. It’s almost like a car crash where you walk away.”

Before this ‘walking away’, however, comes the acrobatic and aesthetic part of the freefall and it all starts on a small strip of grip tape 27m above the water with the take-off – get it wrong and it shows with the rest of the dive.

“The speed needs to be perfect, the jump has to be perfect, the mind has to be ready. You need to have that fear and control in check,” acknowledges cliff diving expert Joey Zuber.

For Russia’s Artem Silchenko this is “the moment of your life. You stand there and you are ready.”

Ready to do the twist, one of the most complicated moves in cliff diving. Adding more twists increases the Degree of Difficulty of the dive. And the top athletes can pull off up to four twists a second.

“You start out wide with your arms like a figure skater and then you come in tight; you want to have a long, straight, tight, pretty line, with pointed toes. Once you’re initiating and you wrap in tight, it goes really, really fast,” explains 24-year-old David Colturi who is said to be one of the fastest twisters in the cliff diving scene.

In order to add a perfect ending to a dive, the athletes have to break the surface with as little splash as possible and be streamlined like a bird.

The move that makes this possible is called a barani; undoubtedly the most important part of the dive besides the take-off. This perfect control mechanism allows the divers to hit the water safely and is essentially one forward somersault with half a twist. It is used in cliff diving as opposed to regular 10-metre diving where the athletes hit the water head-first. Spinning at high speeds from heights comparable to an eightstorey building it is very easy to lose orientation

but the barani gives the divers the chance to bend at their waist and look at the water as they do it.

This is the moment when they have the chance to control the dive prior to entry.

Cliff diving is definitely one of the purest sports on earth and holds a fascination for doers as well as watchers. For 38-year-old Duque a lot of this lies in the impact: “Above water it’s really fast what happens, then you can hear a loud bang and all of a sudden you are under water and everything is quiet. And all you hear is the bubbles around you. It’s surreal. The impact, the adrenaline, everything that is happening to your body is a big rush that you feel. This contrast of being scared while jumping in the air, the speed and then in the water is what makes us completely happy.

That’s what gets us divers into the sport more and more.” Those who have come into the sport only recently got infected by the cliff diving bug very quickly, as 2011 rookie Steven LoBue confirms: “I love this sport because it offers a sort of feeling that you don’t really find anywhere else. It’s so pure. It’s just you and your body and what you trained your body to do. That almost flying feeling captured me.”

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world series

The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series has never been as young as in its fifth year. The age average of 27.9 years is the lowest to date and promises another year of rapid evolution of one of the most breathtaking of all sports.

New rules, a bunch of new divers and exciting innovations – find the hard facts of the World Series on the following pages and dive into the 2013 season.

Qualification Eight dives to match technique and physical artistry in the quest for diving perfection and top scores from the judges – 13 athletes from 9 different nations were given the opportunity to compete in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2013. The initial line-up for the 2013 qualification competition was confirmed following video application and consideration of past performances. In addition to the six divers who competed as part of the 2012 World Series but did not make the automatic cut for season V, seven have been selected and given a plane ticket to Australia.

In a top-class and nerve-shredding qualification competition in early February youngster Jonathan Paredes from Mexico, as well as Michal Navratil (CZE), Blake Aldridge (UK) and the rookies Anatoliy Shabotenko (UKR) and Matt Cowen (UK) took the available slots for the new high diving season.

The top five divers in the overall ranking at the end of the 2013 World Series plus those for whom injury policy applies are automatically qualified for a 2014 World Series. The first qualification competition for the World Series took place in 2011. Until today eight rookies earned the chance to prove their talent.

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High Standards From an individual’s passion high diving has turned into a recognized sport, which draws people’s attention worldwide. “It’s getting more and more interesting for new divers to come into the Series, because it’s kind of a prestige thing, it’s the top in our sport.

Just like in any other sport there is the one event that everybody wants to participate in and wants to win. This is what every high diver wants to win. Not because you’re on TV or in magazines, no. Everybody in the sport knows your name after you’ve won this one,” Orlando Duque explains.

In 28 competitions between 2009 and 2012, the athletes have pushed the sport to such a high level that American Greg Louganis – four-time Olympic gold medallist and the most successful diver of all time – predicts an even brighter future for cliff diving: “This Series standardized the sport. The height is always between 26.5m and 28m; they have the fixed degree of difficulty and a good panel of judges.

Consequently, the divers know better what to expect and can prepare better. I think it’s very possible that cliff diving becomes an Olympic sport. There is so much more talent coming into the sport. It’s an exciting time for cliff diving.”

The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series aims for guaranteeing the highest possible quality in this sport, featuring the world’s best athletes as well as young talent and providing them with a platform to excel and express their passion over and over again.

Athletes As the pinnacle of cliff diving competitions, the 2013 World Series once again spotlights the sport’s top ten athletes from seven different nations between 23 and 38 years, as well as up to four wildcard divers at each tour stop. In its fifth season, the title is decided during eight competitions.

The first ever female competition in the history of Red Bull Cliff Diving will be held during the competition in Malcesine, featuring six women from four countries.

Locations Kicking off at the end of May in France, the World Series goes north to Denmark and will touch Portuguese soil once again after a thrilling competition in the previous season one month later.

Between Italy, in July, and the United Kingdom, in September, the cliff diving elite leap over the Atlantic Ocean to touch down in the United States. Getting closer to the season finale, South America’s largest country plays host, guaranteeing a full-blooded competition from almost three times the Olympic height. For the final showdown, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series will switch hemispheres again and touch South Asian soil for the first time ever. Thailand’s stunning landscape will be the backdrop for the coronation of the 2013 World Series champion in an outof-the-ordinary competition in October.

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world series Event format ~ A competition consists of four dives: two required dives with a limited DD (3.8) and two optional dives. Both required and optional dives have to be alternated at every competition. ~ Two days of competition. ~ First round determines the ranking for the head-to-head battles. ~ Two rounds of head-to-head: one required & one optional dive. ~ Final round: In the event of 14 divers starting the competition, seven winners & one lucky loser perform one optional dive in reverse starting order. ~ The winner is the one with the highest point total of all 4 dives.

Jury Five international jurors will judge each dive on the following criteria: take off, position in the air, entry in the water and award scores from 0 to 10 in half point increments.

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Judges 1 head judge & 4 judges per competition selected from a pool of 13 members Claudio de Miro (ITA) Head judge, former Italian diving team member Andrey Ignatenko (UKR) Winner of first Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series competition in La Rochelle, FRA, in 2009, 4th overall the same year Anke Piper (GER) Three-time European champion 10m Dmitri Sautin (RUS) Two-time Olympic Gold medallist, fivetime World Champion, 12 time European Champion, has won more medals than any other Olympic diver Greg Louganis (USA) Four-time Olympic Gold medallist, five-time World Champion, six-time Pan American Games winner, most famous diver of all time Jeff Arbon (GBR) Participant Olympic Games Seoul 1988 Julian Llinas (ESP) FINA judge, judged three Olympic Games Ken Grove (AU(S)-T) Two-time Olympian for AUS and AUT, Orlando Duque’s first high diving coach Marion Reiff (AUT) Participant Olympic Games Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Renato Rosi (ITA) Former Italian diving team member Sara Massenz (ITA) Former Italian diving team member Slava Polyeshchuk (UKR) Former cliff diver, 2011 4th overall Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series Steve Foley (AUS) Three-time Olympian (1976, 1980, 1984), first Australian male diver to final in both springboard and platform at the Games (1984).

Tonio Martinez (MEX) FINA judge, organizer of high diving competitions in Mexico (Chiapas & Acapulco) since 2007, high diving shows worldwide since 1988 (substitute head judge)

Scores Calculation of total score of each competition: ~ Five scores by five judges. ~ Highest and lowest score are discarded. ~ Remaining three scores are added together. ~ T his sum is multiplied by the degree of difficulty for each dive. ~ Scores from all four rounds are cumulated for the final competition result. ~ Points will be awarded from 1st to 14th place (including wildcards). ~ The winner of any individual tour stop is the diver with the highest point total from this stop.

WORLD SERIES POINTS SCRATCH SYSTEM Divers can strike their worst result from all eight competitions. Winner of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2013 will be the athlete with the highest overall points after all competitions after applying the scratch result policy.

POINTS PER COMPETITION Calculation of the total score of the World Series: 8th 50 1st 200 9th 40 2nd 160 10th 30 3rd 130 11th 20 4th 110 12th 10 5th 90 13th 9 6th 70 14th 8 7th 60 Points from each competition are added together. The top 7 results of each diver count for the World Series overall ranking.

NEW in 2013 ~ The Degree of Difficulty (DD) for a required dive has been raised to 3.8 (was 3.6). ~ Both required and optional dives have to be alternated at every competition. ~ The points scratch system allows the divers to strike their worst individual competition result out of a total of eight.

Why did the DD for a required dive change from 3.6 to 3.8?

“This change puts a little bit more emphasis on the control and aesthetics of easier dives. With this slightly higher DD a good required dive means more points for the diver. Thus, the importance of a required dive increases and makes the competition even more challenging as not all the focus is on the optional ones with a higher DD.”

Niki Stajkovic, sports director

“The difference is, if the diver fails, then this new rule makes a big difference as it gets harder to catch up with the ones who did well.”

Claudio de Miro, head judge

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technical data

Free Fall

Heights

1sec.

Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series maximum height:

28m

Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series minimum height:

26.5m

General male competitions:

20-28m General female competitions:

2 sec.

2-3G

Physical forces

18-23m

Olympic diving:

10m

Impact Minimum water depth:

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5m

3 sec.

nine times harder than from a 10m platform Entering speed

85-90kph

Platform

stable take-off board construction minimum length: 1.5 metres; minimum width: 0.75 metres; platform rim at least 2 metres beyond the vertical fall line; water spray

Risks The highest risk of injury occurs during the landing phase, when parts of the body are already exposed to absolute deceleration and others, above the surface, are still at full speed. At this point, maximum physical tension is absolutely necessary. Immediately after hitting the water, the athlete has to actively dive away to avoid compression or contortion of parts of the body due to the hardness of the water.

However, major mistakes can be ruled out because of the divers’ technical training and experience. A pancake landing from such heights can be compared with a hard landing from 13 metres on concrete. That is why only about three to four dozen athletes worldwide pursue this exclusive extreme sport. Generally speaking, high diving over 28 metres does not bring a lot of time benefit due to the rapid acceleration; however, the risk of injuries increases disproportionately.

Rescue divers/paramedics On standby next to the diving point, three scuba divers at landing point. Ambulance on standby.

body & mind

NO GUTS, NO Physical fitness is a basic requirement, mental readiness means you’re able to make that step to the edge and fear is a life-saver – besides perfect diving technique, cliff diving requires these three truths to overcome the tangible barrier of the platform and enjoy the ride.

Entering the athletes’ area during a World Series stop is like an exotic world for some of us. Toned and tanned bodies, six-packs aplenty, and all wearing nothing but a pair of speedos. These men are fit and strong, that’s more than obvious, and some are really relaxed while others appear slightly more nervous. It’s less than one hour to go until the competition and most of them start moving around, stretching their legs, doing crunches, jumping up and down with swinging arms. Nice to look at, but it’s a place where visitors will never truly belong – it’s a microcosm for cliff divers only.

Headphones on, music at full blast and a focused look; it’s an atmosphere of maximum concentration.

Their mind is not where their bodies are, it’s busy with something that’s been creeping up their spine, clenching their stomach and is now hammering inside their head – fear.

Many years of training, days at the pool and in the gym, and hundreds of diving competitions lie behind these athletes. Their brain is used to exceptional circumstances, has an above-average ability to concentrate and focus, to block things out. “Cliff diving is a ridiculous extreme sport that requires a huge amount of mental strength and fortitude. I’m sure there are thousands of talented and extremely physically qualified platform divers out there who could be really, really good in cliff diving but it’s a whole other game when you step up 28m in the air; then you have to know that you have the confidence

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Getting your body and mind ready

and that you can handle the environment of being a cliff diver,” says David Colturi, the 2012 rookie. The 24-year-old American soaked it all up like a sponge in his first full season and watched carefully when the sport’s heavyweights performed. “No matter how fit your body is, you cannot dive from 27 metres with a mind that’s not ready,” Artem Silchenko’s statement is short and to the point and when nine-time world champion Orlando Duque takes the same line, it’s clear to everybody: “The main thing of being a really good cliff diver obviously you have to know the diving technique; so you have to dedicate a lot of time to diving, learn the proper technique and then eventually make the height and dive from 27m. But mentally it’s very important; to me it’s more important mentally, because you have to recognize what you need to do to do a good dive and diving technique is not enough. Just being crazy is not enough. You have to be strong mentally.” Consequently, we learn that physical fitness is a basic requirement in cliff diving but worthless if the mind does not contribute to the dive. Only those whose minds allow it are able to enjoy the ride.

How well a regular diver can adapt to being a cliff diver, someone who deals successfully with whatever the environment throws at them, is shown

by Steven LoBue. The American was a rookie in 2011, forced into qualification after his first year only to finish the 2012 season as 3rd overall: “When it comes to overcoming your fear, I’m never not scared when I’m on the platform. I’ll always have a little bit of fear and it’s very important that you keep that fear in check; too much fear is dangerous, too little fear is dangerous. So you really have to adjust and that was part of my inconsistency in my rookie year. I really did not have a good grip of where my fear level was. Last

season I think I did a really good job of mentally training and keeping that fear where it needs to be, training a lot better and just having fun.”

you have to be sure 100% before you dive. 70% is decided in the head, the rest comes from the body.

The head is the decisive part.”

It’s a given that these men are in really good physical shape, have done their homework regarding diving technique, but when it comes to actually taking off from the platform mounted in dizzying heights, it will only happen when you show a lot of guts and the right mindset. French diver Cyrille Oumedjkane, who has been in the sport for 12 years, has found the right formula: “The preparation for your body has to be done long before, but to be a very good cliff diver you need to be a mentally strong person. Not 99 or 99.5%,

Fear is overcome in the head, explains reigning World Series champion Gary Hunt: “My way to overcome the fear is just imagining the feeling after a good dive. It’s that “over-the-moon” feeling that causes me to keep diving.” Fear is an omnipresent factor in this ancient extreme sport. A result of total respect. Respect for the height, risk and impact.

Every single athlete is well aware that this is a sport which demands full concentration and full physical control. And they have to master these feelings each time anew.

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athletes

the The 2013 World Series features ten top athletes during eight competitions and up to four wildcard divers per stop.

Anatoliy Shabotenko UKR Artem Silchenko RUS Blake Aldridge UK David Colturi USA Gary Hunt UK Jonathan ParedeS MEX Matt Cowen UK Michal Navratil CZE Orlando Duque COL Steven LoBue USA 18

SHABOTENKO

ANATOLIY

He had five tries and he used all of them. Anatoliy Shabotenko was the wildcard of the year in the 2012 season. Invited to five out of seven stops, the Ukrainian finished all five competitions amongst the finalists and the last two in fourth place. Over the season, the 24-year-old collected more points than some of the permanent World Series divers and finished the year in seventh position overall.

He held his nerve during the nerve-shredding qualification competition in Australia and confidently made the cut for his first full-time season amongst the world’s best cliff divers.

“It’s an amazing feeling! I was prepared for this moment. Now I’ll have to fight with the super guys. I’ll definitely try to increase my DD, because in the Series the divers have DDs of 6.0 and if you want to fight for the championship you have to increase the difficulty.”

Representing Ukraine DOB May 10, 1989 Height/Weight 1.73m/75kg City of residence Shenzhen, China Profession Artist, showman Started cliff diving in 2011 Favourite cliff diving spot Azores, Portugal; Marmeeting, Italy Favourite dive Front flip Achievements • 2013 4th qualification competition Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Cattai (AUS) • 2012 7th overall Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series (Wildcard) • 2011 2nd European Cliff Diving Championship, Switzerland

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ARTEM

SILCHENKO

athletes

“I always want to win because I’m a professional Russian sportsman.” Artem Silchenko is well known for his great diving technique and his continuing motivation. In 2012, however, he didn’t quite achieve his all-time goal and besides two victories didn’t make it onto the podium at all. In the overall results, the 29-year-old dropped out of the top three; in part due to his two eighth places at the beginning of the season where he learned and perfected his new blind entry dive.

Being the only one in the World Series performing an armstand and a blind entry dive raises the question whether it is indeed true that Russians are afraid of nothing. Legends say that they kill bears with their bare hands and put hungry wolves to flight, but who knows... more traceable is Artem Silchenko’s story.

Born in Russia’s southwest, he has lived in China for six years to start his high diving career. Over the years, the tight-lipped Russian has become one of the heavyweights of cliff diving, winning the world championships at the age of only 22. When not travelling the world cliff diving, he cares for his wife, a former synchro-swimmer, and his cute little daughter.

“One or two seconds before I dive, my body is still on the platform but my brain is already flying.”

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Representing Russia DOB February 3, 1984 Height/Weight 1.81m/80kg City of residence Voronezh Profession Trainer Started cliff diving in 2004 Favourite location Yucatan (MEX) Favourite dive Flying front Achievements • 2012 Winner Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Azores (POR) & Inis Mor (IRL) • 2011 Winner Real Diving, Chiapas (MEX) • 2006 World Champion Final rankings Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series • 2012 4th overall • 2011 2nd overall • 2010 & 2009 3rd overall

ALDRIDGE

BLAKE

After accomplishing qualification for the 2012 World Series – the finalist at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing came second – Blake Aldridge learned a new dive equally as hard as Gary Hunt’s triple quad, with a DD of 6.3, and added it to his diving programme in Boston, USA. Taking this risky step brought him maybe not the points necessary to qualify automatically for the next season, but for sure the reputation of a high-diving daredevil.

A very competitive athlete, the former British diving world champion did his first dive from 27 metres in June 2011 at the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series competition in La Rochelle, France, and has wanted more ever since. In his rookie year, however, the 30-year-old injured his adductor muscles badly during the first stop and had a sixth place in the Azores as his best result. Making the cut for the 2013 World Series means another big chance for the Englishman to finally realize his desire for at least a podium.

“I’m so excited. I am so happy. I am in for another year! I knew I had to do well otherwise I wouldn’t get my spot. So I was obviously nervous for that but again I had to compose myself and I managed to do that pretty well and jump up a place into third and qualify for the World Series. I am just happy it’s all over and now I am looking forward to the first competition.”

Representing Great Britain Nickname Blakey Boy DOB August 4, 1982 Height/Weight 1.70m/65kg City of residence London Profession Olympic diver Started cliff diving in 2009 Favourite cliff diving spot Locarno, Switzerland Favourite dive Back armstand 2 ½ ss with 3 twists Achievements • 3 times world medallist • Former world champion • 2012 2nd qualification competition Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Cattai (AUS) • 2011 6th Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in La Rochelle (FRA, wildcard) • 2009 & 2010 European champion • 2008 Olympic finalist Final rankings Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series • 2012 9th overall

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DAVID

COLTURI

athletes

He first caught the cliff diving scene’s attention in Boston 2011, when he entered the competition at very short notice; as a next step he was selected for the qualification competition and David Colturi came to Australia to earn a 10 from the judges for his favourite dive, the reverse two somersaults with four twists, and win the competition.

As the youngest permanent diver in the sport’s most respected series of competitions, the 24-year-old did not stop grabbing people’s attention with his performances from 27m during his first full cliff diving season. After a moderate start to the 2012 season, the former US 10m champion found his place in the top group quickly and claimed his first podium at his home event: „Being in Boston with my family was super cool and to get my first podium it couldn’t have gone any better.

I’m always going to have great memories of Boston. Then following it up with another podium in the final in Oman was definitely the right way to go!“ Only three years in the sport and already a potential winner – David Colturi knows how to remain the focus of attention.

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“The World Series is more than just a cliff diving event. You have to be able to handle all the climbing up rocks, traversing through forests, going through rivers; you’ve got to do all kinds of crazy stuff you’d never expect when you are in a normal diving environment like at a pool and you are used to doing as a regular diver.”

Representing USA DOB April 30, 1989 Height/Weight 1.73m/70kg City of residence Ann Arbor, Michigan Profession Lab technician, diving coach Started cliff diving in 2010 Favourite cliff diving spot Wadi Shab (OMN) Favourite dive Reverse double with four twists Achievements • 2012 3rd Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Boston (USA) & Wadi Shab (OMN) • 2012 Winner Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series qualification competition in Cattai (AUS) • 2011 14th Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Boston (USA, wildcard) • 2011 Winner International High Diving Competition in Liuzhou, China • 2009 3rd World University Games 10 m synchronized and Team Award • 2009 US National Champion 10m individual and synchronized Final rankings Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series • 2012 5th overall

HUNT

GARY

The hardest dive in the whole sport, a very high score of 173.25 points and, well, a little bit of luck, crowned Gary Hunt the World Series champion for the third time in a row. After a season in which he was struck by chicken pox, missed out on the podium twice for the first time since the kick-off of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in 2009 and in which Orlando Duque had led the overall standings for the majority of the year.

Since he was handed the crown by his Colombian predecessor, after an impressive cliff diving season in 2010 – there was no let-up in 2011 either as Gary won four successive competitions to wrap up a second World Series win even before the final stop in Ukraine – the 28-year-old – has left no doubt that he heads the list of top athletes in the sport.

The Paris resident is the most progressive diver within the Series.

He always has a new and innovative dive in mind, in order to stay ahead of his rivals. He premiered the Triple Quad in 2009 and within 12 months attempted a dive with a running take-off. It’s another link in the chain that connects Olympic and high diving. In 2013, we will definitely see something new from the “brilliant Brit”!

„Winning the World Series in Oman was definitely my season highlight. I was nervous before the last dive but I’ve been in that situation before needing a good dive – I just tried to tell myself to do what you normally do in training. It was an incredible feeling to win the title again especially when you’re competing against some of the best divers in the world.“

Representing Great Britain DOB June 11, 1984 Height/Weight 1.75m/68kg City of residence Paris Profession Cliff diver Started cliff diving in 2006 Favourite cliff diving spot Yucatan (MEX) Favourite dive Back 1.5 piked from 10m Achievements • Winner Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2010, 2011 & 2012 • Winner of 13 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series competitions to date • 2009 Winner High Diving World Cup • 2006 3rd Commonwealth Games 10m Synchro Final rankings Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series • 2010, 2011 & 2012 World Series Champion • 2009 2nd overall

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PAREDES

JONATHAN

athletes

He was the biggest surprise in the 2011 edition of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series: a few days before his 22nd birthday, the Mexican wildcard almost made it onto the podium in Malcesine, Italy. The day before he landed on his tailbone but proved his will power and talent the day after. He did almost the same during his only appearance in the 2012 World Series when he finished sixth in Boston.

Coming back to Australia where he lost it all in 2012 was not the easiest task for Mexican diver Jonathan Paredes. However, having grown in experience and confidence, the youngest of the qualifiers achieved the competition’s highest score and did not even need the highest degree of difficulty to do so. Judges, experts and fellow competitors all agree that Jonathan Paredes is one of high diving’s biggest talents of recent years.

“I feel great, awesome! I never expected that to happen. I thought, ‘okay I’ll make the cut’ but not win. I am ready for the whole Series; and not just for fifth or sixth place, I want to fight for more!”

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Representing Mexico DOB August 14, 1989 Height/Weight 1.66m/64kg City of residence Mexico City Profession Professional cliff diver Started cliff diving in 2011 Favourite cliff diving spot Salitre mágico in Bogotá, Colombia Favourite dive Double twist and a half Achievements • 2013 winner qualification competition Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Cattai (AUS) • 2012 6th Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Boston (USA, wildcard) • 2011 4th Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Malcesine (ITA, wildcard) • 2011 7th Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Yucatán (MEX) and Boston (USA, both as wildcard) • 2011 5th Real Diving Acapulco, Mexico

COWEN

MATT

Last September he came to the Welsh county of Pembrokeshire to watch the sixth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series and to catch up with some of his former diving mates. After a short introduction to the sports director and the head judge, Matt Cowen got the chance to show his ability from 27m. The 25-yearold was immediately invited as a wildcard to the following day’s competition and subsequently selected for the 2013 qualification competition.

All he wanted to gain down under was experience, and what he got was one hell of an experience! – from being ranked 10th after seven dives to jumping to fifth position in the final round, having learnt new dives on a daily basis. The man from Leeds had shown nerves of steel!

“I came here to gain experience and that’s it. It’s unreal! I never thought any of this would happen. But it was so tight at the top and it was just those last dives and I managed to nail it. The rest is history. I am the happiest man in the world right now.”

Representing Great Britain DOB June 10, 1988 Height/Weight 180cm/71kg City of residence Leeds Profession Diving coach and high dive/stunt performer Started cliff diving in 2005 Favourite cliff diving spot Palm Mar Tenerife, Spain Favourite dive 5342b reverse double full twist pike Achievements • 2013 5th qualification competition Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Cattai (AUS) • 2012 14th Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Pembrokeshire, Wales (Wildcard) • Junior international medallist and senior national medallist standard by age 16 • First high dive from 27m at age 17

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MICHAL

NAVRATIL

athletes

From the closest challenger to Gary Hunt and Artem Silchenko and four podiums in season three, to a third place in 2012’s kick-off competition in France, to just missing out on automatic qualification by finishing sixth overall in 2012; Michal Navratil definitely did not have his best season last year.

Consequently, the 28-year-old was forced into qualifying once again, after the first time in 2011, showing a strong performance by leading the board until the final round. After eight dives, just 1.05 points decided first place in favour of rising star Jonathan Paredes, from Mexico, the Czech was nevertheless more than happy to having qualified for his fifth season in the World Series.

Famous for his extroverted character, “Supratil” is looking forward very much to the kick-off in La Rochelle and an expected 70,000 spectators, who help him push his limits. It’s very likely that he’ll perform his Superman-dive in exchange for the energy-boost he gets from a big crowd!

“The qualification was a pressure competition because one mistake could cost you your place in the top five. I got some nice scores and made no fatal mistakes. It was only in the last dive that Jonathan beat me by one point. I can’t wait for the season to begin!”

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Representing Czech Republic Nickname Supratil DOB June 5, 1985 Height/Weight 1.84m/85kg City of residence Prague, Czech Republic Profession Stuntman, high diver on the cruise ship “Royal Caribbean” Started cliff diving in 2003 Favourite cliff diving spot Polignano a Mare, Italy Favourite dive Back flip to swan dive and the ‘Superman’, reverse 2ss Achievements • 2012 3rd Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Corsica (FRA) • 2011 Winner Marmeeting • 2011 & 2012 Winner High Diving World Cup • 2009 3rd Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Hamburg (GER) Final rankings Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series • 2012 6th overall • 2011 3rd overall • 2010 9th overall • 2009 7th overall

DUQUE

ORLANDO

“Honestly, I just wanted to not embarrass myself and to see if I could handle it again. To win on my first competition back was unbelievable.“ Orlando Duque came back after a serious ankle injury to win the 2012 kick-off competition in Corsica, France, and to lead the overall standings for almost the whole season. He came to the final showdown in Oman as the leader of the board and had the honour of the season’s last dive. After a nerve-wrecking competition, it was 1.85 points which denied the Colombian. Once again, the 38-year-old missed out on the title, which he became the first winner of in 2009.

Representing Colombia DOB September 11, 1974 Height/Weight 1.75m/68kg City of residence Honolulu, Hawaii Profession Cliff diver Started cliff diving in 1997 Favourite cliff diving spot Hawaii Favourite dive Back twists

With nine world championship titles, one World Series title and two Guinness world records on his side, he has proven his tremendous ability, reaching a special position within the high diving scene over the last 15 years. The left-hander is a perfectionist whose dedication is unswerving and he left the platform last fall with a promise: to raise his degree of difficulty.

Achievements • Nine-time world champion • Winner of seven Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series competitions to date • 2008, 2005 Winner Red Bull Cliff Diving, Lake Wolfgang • 2005 Winner Adriatic High Diving Cup Final rankings Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series • 2012 2nd overall • 2011 8th overall (injured after stop 2) • 2010 2nd overall • 2009 World Series Champion

“Consistency is very important and the only way you are going to be consistent is by training very hard. If you see any divers who have improved they are the ones who do a lot of practice. They take every chance they have to practice. Of course it’s difficult because every dive you do from 27 metres will hurt more and more. But you have to put your body through that. There is no way around it.

There is no magic formula.”

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STEVEN

LOBUE

athletes

From qualifier to 3rd overall – Steven LoBue has definitely made a huge progress during the 2012 season. Starting off with a second place in Corsica, gave the 28-year-old the confidence boost he needed. The American’s personal season highlight came towards the end of the World Series: “Obviously the winning dive in Wales, that’s a feeling I’ll never forget. I’m looking forward to getting a few more of those this year hopefully!“ Being a small man with big aims – “I think have the right body type and the ability to accomplish things that I don’t think anybody else is capable of. I know this is a huge goal I am shooting towards and it takes time to get there” – he’s dedicated a lot of time to physical and mental preparation, getting ready to make the next step towards the top spot.

“Cliff diving is a very individual sport. When you are up there, there is nothing but you, your thoughts and the confidence that you’ve done all the proper training. The opposite side of that is that all the guys on tour, we look at each other as a family and as a team. We are very supportive of each other. You’ll never see a lot of hatred for one country or one person towards another and I think that’s part of what makes cliff diving really an amazing sport and an awesome group of guys.”

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Representing USA DOB June 17, 1985 Height/Weight 1.61m/62kg City of residence Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Profession Physical education teacher Started cliff diving in 2009 Favourite cliff diving spot Australia Favourite dive Back triple, Triple twist Achievement • 2012 Winner Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Wales (UK) • 2012 3rd qualification competition Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Cattai (AUS) • 2011 7th qualification competition Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Cattai (AUS) • 2004 Olympic Trials finalist Final rankings Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series • 2012 3rd overall • 2011 10th overall

Wild

These athletes will get a chance to prove their talent, improve their diving and certainly spice up this year‘s eight competitions. We proudly present the wildcard divers for the 2013 season.

Cyrille Oumedjkane (37), Alain Kohl (30),

Luxembourg 11th 2013 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series qualification competition Final rankings Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series • 2012 10th overall • 2011 6th overall • 2010 7th overall • 2009 11th overall

France 6th 2013 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series qualification competition Final rankings Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series • 2012 11th overall • 2011 5th overall • 2010, 2009 10th overall

Eber Pava (36), Colombia

Andy Jones (28),

USA 12th 2013 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series qualification competition

Final rankings Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series • 2010 7th overall • 2009 12th overall (injured after stop 5) 29

wildcards

Gennadiy Kutsenko (30), Ukraine/Itlay 2012 12th Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series Ireland

Jorge Ferzuli (32),

Mexico 7th 2013 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series qualification competition Final rankings Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series • 2012 16th overall • 2011 11th overall

Wilker Nascimento (24) Brazil

Hassan Mouti (32),

France 9th 2013 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series qualification competition Final rankings Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series • 2011 12th overall • 2010 5th overall • 2009 5h overall

Igor Semashko (37), Russia

3030

Jucelino Junior (30), Brazil 2011 12th Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series Chile

Kyle Mitrione (25), Kent De Mond (30),

USA 8th 2013 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series qualification competition

USA 2012 14th Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series France

Final rankings Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series • 2012, 2011, 2009 8th overall, • 2010 4th overall

Sasha Kutsenko (30), Ukraine 2012 14th Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series Ireland

Kris Kolanus (26),

Poland 10th 2013 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series qualification competition

Todor Spasov (34),

Bulgaria 2012 14th Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series

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battle of champions

Gary Hunt

Orlando Duque

Gary & Orlando Age 29 38 Started cliff diving in 2006 1997 10s from the judges in 2012 3 4 highest DD in 2012 6.3 5.6 Podium finishes 26 20 (missed 5 competitions in 2011 due to injury) Competition victories between 2009 and 2012 13 7 Worst competition result 6 5 World Series champion titles 3 1

They’ve both won the World Series title, bagged 46 podium finishes in four seasons and literally lead cliff diving to new heights. It was a tie in overall points in 2009 and 1.85 points difference in the very last dive of the 2012 season that decided over being or not being crowned World Series champion. Both have undoubtedly extraordinary diving skills, individual ways to collect as many points as possible from the judges and quite some respect for each other.

Gary Hunt

What‘s the other’s greatest strength?

Orlando is definitely the most consistent of all of the series divers. He never seems to miss a dive. He has dived in so many different location that nothing phases him. This is a great aspect to have as a cliff diver as we are always against the elements.

Is there a skill you’d like to steal?

As well as being really consistent he has a great rip.

It‘s the last thing that the judges see so it can be very important and Orlando‘s entry is one of the best.

How will you try to defend your title?

My plan is to come out all guns blazing right from the start. I had a slow start last year but I‘m going to do everything I can to be on top form from day one.

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Orlando Duque

What‘s the other’s greatest strength?

It has to be the degree of difficulty; he is the diver with the highest total amount and when he’s diving well it’s very difficult to match his scores.

Is there a skill you’d like to steal?

I think we both have a good set of skills. What I can identify all the divers have the same talents, excellent technique and the main difference of Gary will be the degree of difficulty. I’ll say I’m happy with what I have - maybe I just need to work harder to beat him.

How will you try to get the title back this year?

My main focus has always been to try the most difficult dives possible for me but with the emphasis on quality.

Last year I lost a couple of events by very small margins so I’d say that my strategy is working.

A ROOKIE’S STEEP LEARNING 2012 Rookie of the year: David Colturi Ever since the first stop in May 2009 it has been the most respected series of competitions featuring the world’s best high divers. Being part of the chosen ones is tantamount to absolute mental strength, physical ability and a high level of consistency. A qualification competition gives new talent the chance to make the cut to become a permanent athlete of the World Series. One who really seized this opportunity last season was American David Colturi. The top-qualifier took two podiums and finished 5th overall. For us the “Rookie of Year”!

During his preparation for his second full season, the 24-year-old takes stock of his first year, starting in France: “Before leaving for Corsica, I was still a little in shock I had made the World Series in the first place.

With so little high diving experience before the qualifier, I wasn‘t sure if it was just beginners luck that I came out on top in Australia. I kept telling myself it was no different from regular diving, that I have been training my entire life for this, and just to relax and enjoy this amazing opportunity. I expected the event to be similar to Boston the year before – my only experience with a real World Series stop – but I had no idea what to expect from Corsica. I was blown away by the beauty of the island, and the energy of the event.”

The 2009 US National 10m Champion came into the Series with an early round of applause from judges and sports director, however, his 11th place

in the kick-off competition proved true what nine-time world champion Orlando Duque points out looking at the young guns: “It’s tough. First of all it’s high, the locations are challenging and the established divers are already the best of the best. And for the new guys to try to beat them and be really comfortable in the middle of everything is challenging and sometimes it shows in their performance.”

Consequently, it took David three competitions to find his place within the divers and with beating both overall winners at least once and sharing the podium with them twice he made it clear that he chose the top group. “The most important thing I learned last season was how to relax and go with the flow at each event.

Every location is unique in so many ways, especially with the challenges and environmental factors we face.

I have to relax and enjoy myself, otherwise I will get too worked up and perform poorly. It‘s like my university coach would always tell me, „focusing on the things you can‘t control, will adversely effect the things you can control.“ How much one of the fastest twisters in the scene can control the rankings in the new season, is still to be seen, but definitely a personal goal: “I want to be as consistent as possible. I really just want to clean up my entries and minimize big misses and low scores. If I can do that I think I can end up on the podium more frequently, and hopefully place in the top three overall.”

The American’s innovative energy is definitely something everybody will soon have to try and keep up with and the 2013 rookies have an excellent example of how to manage their debut season.

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stops

rocks, monoliths, iconic landmarks and buildings This purest extreme sports competition hits new waters in its fifth year and determines a new champion during eight challenging competitions across Europe, Asia and North and South America.

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Stop 1

FRANCE, La Rochelle Saint Nicolas Tower May 24-25 The baguette, beret and fromage are three things unmistakably French. A dazzling height, cold water and daring men in speedos are almost as closely connected with the city of La Rochelle as the aforementioned are associated with France. Since 2009, the catacombs of the Saint Nicolas Tower have come alive each year – besides a side-step to Corsica in 2012 – when the world’s best high divers have come to town. 120 steps to the scariest platform in the entire competition, the 27m structure will be the focus of attention for up to 70,000 spectators, the biggest crowd ever for a World Series event.

The city, whose name literally translates as ‚little cliff‘, is host for a fourth time and stages the kick-off competition again after doing likewise in 2009 and 2010. The winner of the first ever World Series stop in May 2009 off the infamous Saint Nicolas Tower, Ukrainian Andrey Ignatenko, has changed careers and will judge his former competitors from down below. Gary Hunt, the three-time champion, is the only still active winner of this alwaysbracing beginning to the World Series.

People have been passing between the Saint Nicolas Tower and the Tour de la Chaine to enter the city of La Rochelle via the seaway since 1345. On May 25, 2013, this 42-metre-high landmark and former jail with its pentagonal design will again be pivotal. The cliff diving elite – among them national heroes Hassan Mouti and Cyrille Oumedjkane, from Strasbourg, who will compete as wildcard divers – will battle it out for the first time in the new season.

Looking back on a long tradition of fishing and trading, the seaport of La Rochelle was

once the largest on the French Atlantic coast.

Nowadays, the city in the Bay of Biscay with its 80,000 inhabitants still maintains strong links with the sea by harbouring the largest marina for pleasure boats in Europe and has also maintained much of its old architecture, making it one of the most picturesque and historically rich cities on the whole Atlantic coast.

Location Saint Nicolas Tower – historic defence building Date May 24/25, 2013 Coordinates 46°09’20’’N, 01°09’55’’W Platform height 27m Water depth 5.5m to 7m Water temperature in May 16°C Air temperature in May 21°C Water Atlantic Ocean, Bay of Biscay, Seawater Unusual fact The two-hour timeframe for the competition due to the tides Results 2011 1 Gary Hunt UK 2 Michal Navratil CZE 3 Alain Kohl LUX

401.15 pts 333.45 pts 292.20 pts 35

stops

Stop 2

DENMARK, Copenhagen Opera House June 21-22

The Opera House was donated to the Danish state by A.P. Møller, the co-founder of Mærsk, the world’s largest container ship and supply vessel operator, and Chastine McKinney Møller’s foundation in August 2000.

Designed by the architect Henning Larsen and engineers Ramboll and Buro Happold and theatre consultant Theatreplan, a lot of time and passion was dedicated to the acoustics and interiors, making the house one of the best equipped in the world. Construction began in June 2001 and was completed on October 1, 2004. It was opened on January 15, 2005.

Stop two brings the World Series to new ground and to the most northerly point in the whole season. The Danish capital city of Copenhagen hosts the world elite of cliff diving and provides them with a panoramic view of the royal palace, Amalienborg, and the adjacent domed Marble Church when mounting the 27m platform on the roof of the Opera House.

Located in the heart of Copenhagen just opposite the main castle at Amalienborg and the shore of the harbour, the Opera House is built in alignment with Amalienborg and the marble church, so that if one stands in the main entrance of the opera, one can see the marble church over the water through Amalienborg.

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In April 2006 world famous tenor Plácido Domingo made a gala guest appearance and impressed Queen Margrethe II; in June 2013 cliff divers from across the world will take the plunge from the Opera House’s concrete roof. Inside the opera, 1,703 seats are individually angled in order to provide the best experience for the guests during a stage performance and this summer many more spectators of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series can choose their own individual spot on the water and underneath the roof to be impressed by the divers’ performances.

Location Copenhagen Opera House Date June 21/22, 2013 Coordinates 55°40’55”N 12°36’02”E Platform height 27m Water depth 5.5m to 7m Water temperature in June 18°C Air temperature in June 19°C Water Øresund, Seawater Unusual fact With construction costs well over 500 million US dollars, the building is one of the most expensive opera houses ever built.

Stop 3

PORTUGAL, Azores

S. Miguel, Vila Franca do Campo June 28-29 0.1 points decided the winner of the World Series event on the volcanic archipelago of the Azores, Portugal, in 2012. It was the closest victory since the kick-off of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in 2009 and the first ever ‘back to the roots’ competition.

An impressive monolith of volcanic stone and the outside crater walls of the circularshaped islet less than one kilometre from the coastline of Saõ Miguel are the perfect spots to explore this pure sport and dive straight from the cliffs again in 2013. Only for the more difficult optional dives will the athletes use the platform construction placed above the ocean.

Situated in the middle of the Atlantic – 1,369km west of the European mainland – the Azores archipelago comprises nine islands spread over three groups. This territory symbolizes the beginning of the grand adventure of discovery that began in the fifteenth century and led the Portuguese to have a presence in the four corners of the world. Of volcanic origin, the Azores are undoubtedly one of the last paradises in Europe - appearing often in legends of the lost continent of Atlantis.

The Vila Franca do Campo islet, named after the village just in front on the mainland, is located around one kilometre from the coastline and came about following the collapse of a former volcano. After being used for many purposes over the centuries – from a military fort area to a vineyard – this islet was classified as a nature reserve in 1983. It is almost circular in shape but broken by a sea entrance through one section of its perimeter.

The crater walls are home to much local vegetation. Inside, the crystalline waters of the natural swimming pool have an added beauty and feature their own stunning beach. To the south of the islet stand two volcanic rock peaks used for nesting by the many marine birds that visit the island.

Location Volcanic nature reserve off the coast Date June 28/29, 2013 Coordinates 37° 41’ N, 25° 26’ W Platform/rock height 27m Water depth over 8m Water temperature in June 22°C Air temperature in June 25°C Water Atlantic Ocean, Seawater Unusual fact Locals call the islet “Princess Ring” Results 2012 1 Artem Silchenko RUS 2 Orlando Duque COL 3 Gary Hunt UK

465.60 pts 465.50 pts 459.45 pts 37

stops

Stop 4

ITALY, Malcesine

Scaliger Castle July 13-14

The first female competition within the World Series will be held in Italy with six athletes diving from 20m in three rounds: Anna Bader (GER), Ginger Huber (USA), Jacqueline Valente (BRA), Lysanne Richard (CAN), Stephanie De Lima (CAN) and Tara Hyer (USA).

The enormous stream of people back in 2011, when the World Series came to Italy’s world famous Lake Garda for the first time, caused the police to close the roads around the charming town of Malcesine. An area, which is widely known for its huge range of sporting activities, welcomed one more jaw-dropping discipline when the world’s best cliff divers took a leap off the Scaliger Castle.

The charming town rises at the feet of the 1,750 metre-high Monte Baldo, on a small hill on the north east side of the country’s largest lake. Just 50km from Verona, the village is built around Scaliger Castle, which has 13th-century fortifications, an even older medieval tower, and the ancient “Palazzo dei Capitani”, built by the Scaliger family between the 13th and 14th centuries.

Between April and October many thousands of tourists come to Lake Garda to indulge their sporting passions like windsurfing, sailing, mountain biking, climbing and paragliding.

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Preceding the 10 high divers who will hit town in high season are other notable names.

Among them the German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who was questioned by the local magistrate on suspicion of being a spy while drawing sketches of the castle, and famous painter Gustav Klimt who painted one of his most famous landscapes, inspired

by Malcesine, in the summer of 1913.

A hundred years later, the cliff diving elite will establish its half-time leader in Italy before the World Series takes a six-week summer break.

Location Scaliger Castle on the shore of Lake Garda Date July 13/14, 2013 Coordinates 45°46’N, 10°49’E Platform height 27m Water depth more than 5m Water temperature in July 21°C Air temperature in July 27°C Water Lake Garda, Fresh water Unusual fact An iconic diving spot where competitions were held in the 1980s and youngsters would regularly dive from the surrounding cliffs Results 2011 1 Gary Hunt UK 2 Artem Silchenko RUS 3 Michal Navratil CZE

459.90 pts 449.35 pts 413.35 pts

Stop 5

USA, Boston

Institute of Contemporary Art August 23-24 Take two trucks and an 85-metres radius crane, two seven-ton struts and a lot of steel – the 27.5m take-off for the venue in Boston is the most complex construction process of the whole World Series. In the second urban venue in 2013 this huge effort is necessary in order to take most of the platform’s weight off the building and stabilize the whole construction, which almost floats above the museum.

Following four stops in Europe, the World Series leaps over the Atlantic into the second half of the season and touches down in one of America’s oldest cities – Boston, Massachusetts. This sports-mad city proved its nickname in 2012 when more than 40,000 spectators came to watch the world’s top athletes climb to the top of the 90-foot-high Institute of Contemporary Art building on Fan Pier to put on an exhibition of their own.

One athlete who bade farewell with a place amongst the finalists in 2012 will watch the competition from the eight-storey platform with a new perspective this year – 47-yearold Slava Polyeshchuk, of Ukraine, is a World Series veteran and will make his first appearance as a judge at the US stop.

After US diver David Colturi took his first ever podium in front of his home crowd last year, he and the high diving elite will once again try to propel their performances towards perfection in the latest ‘exhibit’ at a place of inspiration and imagination.

Location ICA – art museum and exhibition hall Date August 23/24, 2013 Coordinates 42°21’28”N, 71°3’42”W Platform height 27.5m Water depth 7m Water temperature in August 19°C Air temperature in August 23°C Water Boston Harbor, Seawater Unusual fact The ICA is often compared to a “glamorous ice cube” Results 2012 1 Gary Hunt UK 2 Orlando Duque COL 3 David Colturi USA

459.00 pts 430.20 pts 420.30 pts

Founded in 1936, the ICA’s mission is to exhibit contemporary art. Count on the divers to deliver unforgettable impressions.

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stops

Stop 6

UNITED KINGDOM, South west Wales

Pembrokeshire, St. David’s September 13-14

The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series returns to the UK in September to the picturesque location of the Blue Lagoon in Pembrokeshire, south west Wales. The competition takes place near St David’s, which is among the smallest cities in Europe with a population of only 1,800 and is built around the ancient cathedral of St David’s.

With three English divers, the United Kingdom is the most-represented nation within the World Series in 2013 and Leeds’ Matt Cowen, who was awarded a last-minute wildcard entry for this stop last season, before making it into the permanent divers’ list via qualification, will try, together with threetime World Series champion Gary Hunt and former Olympic diver Blake Aldridge, to claim a podium in front of a home crowd at the sixth stop on the 2013 calendar of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.

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Wales is steeped in history and also has its own language, which is spoken by almost a quarter of the population. Pembrokeshire is a spectacular maritime county measuring only 20 miles from north to south, yet has 186 miles of breathtaking coastline. It has a diverse landscape of unspoilt pocket beaches, lakes, woodland and quaint villages, which have been the backdrop to films including the blockbuster, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The entire coastline around Pembrokeshire forms part of Britain’s only Coastal National Park, which is home to a population of Bottlenose Dolphins and porpoises, which swim with the local surfers in many of the hidden surf spots.

Location An old slate quarry filled with water Date September 13/14, 2013 Coordinates 51° 52’ 55” N, 5° 16’ 4” W Platform 27.5m Water depth 25m at its deepest point Water temperature in September 15°C Air temperature in September 18°C Water Celtic Sea, Seawater Unusual fact St David’s is officially a ‘city’ only because of its cathedral Results 2012 1 Steven LoBue USA 2 Orlando Duque COL 3 Gary Hunt UK

481.90 pts 467.80 pts 460.75 pts

Stop 7

BRAZIL, NITÉROI, Rio de Janeiro Icaraí Beach September 27-28

For the first time in the history of the World Series, the world’s best cliff divers touch down on the South American mainland. The place chosen to host the high diving elite is the beach of Icaraí in Niterói, a city in the state of Rio de Janeiro, with which it shares the Guanabara Bay. The name of the beach means “holy river” in the native language and used to be a place where people jumped from a platform during the 1950s.

The altogether bigger platform for the secondto-last stop of the current season brings the 1940 to 1964 story of the “Trampolin of Icaraí Beach” back to life by building a 27m high vintage replica for the best divers in the world. One of the region’s most trendy beaches has the Christ the Redeemer statute and Sugarloaf Mountain as a backdrop on one side and the Oscar Niemeyer-designed Museum of Contemporary Art on the land side. Stand-up paddlers, windsurfers, jet-skiers, swimmers and rowers will be amongst the spectators when 10 daring men perform their breathtaking leaps from the height of an eightstorey building.

With six down and only one more competition to come, the Brazil stop will certainly be hardfought. In a city whose nickname, amongst others, is “Cidade Sorriso” – Smile City – it’s guaranteed that the cliff divers will bring back times that should never have been forgotten to Icaraí during the last weekend in September.

Location A popular beach in the residential district of Nitéroi Date September 27/28, 2013 Coordinates 22°54’26’’S, 43°06’36’’W Platform height 27m Water depth more than 5m Water temperature in September 22°C Air temperature in September 25°C Water Atlantic Ocean, Seawater Unusual fact The word Icarahy, in the ancient Tupi language, is composed of “i” (water) and “carahy” (blessed).

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stops

Stop 8

THAILAND, KRABI PROVINCE October 21-26, 2013

submerged limestone mountains. The next stop is Maya Bay, one of the most popular beaches on Phi Phi Leh Island, where athletes will dive 27m from a special platform allowing them to perform more complicated arrangements of somersaults and twists. Here, spectators will be able to gaze through 6m deep water to the schools of brightly colored tropical fish and coral below.

Iconic films like The Man with the Golden Gun in 1974 and The Beach in 2000 have immortalized the islands off the coast of Krabi province in Southern Thailand. Now, tourists flock to Krabi to get a glimpse of the massive monoliths of limestone that dot the translucent turquoise waters. Despite the growing number of “long-tail boats” ferrying people around, most of these limestone cliff summits have yet to be touched by the feet of any humans. The World Series this October is set to change that.

In the World Series’ first visit to Thailand the best high divers in the world will compete across four unique cliffs in Krabi. Arguably the world’s most spectacular climbing site, Krabi’s cliffs are sharp, pocketed walls of rock each presenting unique challenges. Divers face tides, ocean currents and a steep rocky ascent before diving into the warm waters of the Andaman Sea. The first stop is a 24m dive from Wang Long Bay on Phi Phi Don Island; two opposing cliffs, guarding a narrow inlet of crystal blue water 10m deep. This uninhabited island contains one tiny white sand beach surrounded by 42

Hidden inside many limestone cliffs are caves housing beautiful stalactites and stalagmites.

At Viking Cave, the third dive site, athletes dive from atop a gigantic stalactite jutting out a dramatic 90° from the cliff. At this site, only accessible by boat, competitors dive 24.5m into the Andaman Sea at a depth of 8m. The final dive site, Lading Bay, is quintessentially Thai. A jagged atoll of cliffs surrounds powdery white sand with a view of more limestone pinnacles jutting out of the sea in the distance. The beach here is ready to welcome spectators and judges with a perfect 90° view of the 28m dives.

Krabi is a geological wonder and an ancient civilization, with the limestone cliffs forming 300 million years ago and human habitation dating back 40,000 years. Now, in 2013, for the first time ever, this unique marine landscape will provide the backdrop for the culmination of the Cliff Diving World Series.

Location Limestone cliffs off the coast Date October 21-26, 2013 Coordinates Phi Phi Islands 7° 44’ 0” N, 98° 46’ 0” E Platform/rock height 24-28m Water depth 6m to 10m Water temperature in October 27 - 29°C Air temperature in October 28°C Water Andaman Sea, Seawater Unusual fact The first time that cliff diving will take place at these sites.

Questioning Claudio de Miro, Head Judge Former national diving team member, 25 years of judging experience Nationality: Italian Age: 56 He has 25 years of judging experience on his side and has been involved in high diving just as long. The Naples-born former diver is a walking library when it comes to the rules and regulations and heads a pool of 13 judges.

The divers have improved – have the judges also improved between 2009 and today?

The judging system does not depend on the Degree Of Difficulty or the height. We have to judge what we see and not the difficulty or the name or nation of a diver, and not if the diver is doing a dive for the first time, nor if he’s really young. We have to be neutral no matter what.

How do you explain judging discrepancies?

Normally the scores of the judges should be within a half and one point. However, sometimes it happens that one judge – and this happens in Olympic diving as well – sees a mistake and deducts a point for that. The other judges might not see it as well.

Another case can be that during the rotation or at the entry the diver crimps his legs a little bit – this means a penalty of 0.5 to 3 points and one judge might be stricter with that than another one. Normally you judge all the different aspects of take-off, performance in the air and entry and only afterwards do you apply your deduction. If the overall impression for me was a 9 and I deduct one point for slightly bent knees at the entry, it makes 8. Another judge might give an 8 overall and deduct one point as well, then it makes a 7.

This is also a reason why we discard the highest and the lowest score and multiply the DD with the remaining total score.

What makes a good judge?

Everybody in our group of 14 judges was a diver and some even coaches before we started as judges. So we have spent our lives with diving. As a judge you have to bring a certain mentality and a whole lot of experience.

It’s really hard to see everything in every dive within three seconds, but we’ve probably got the best chance because we’ve been seeing it for so long.

Furthermore, it’s really important to know the rules and the dives.

For me personally, it’s my life. I’ve been involved in diving for 45 years. I love this world. As soon as I get tired of it all, I’ll retire because you need to have a lot of enthusiasm for diving and competition.

What’s your vision for the sport?

I remember 10 years ago we only had very few competitions. Since the World Series kicked off, the sport has got very famous, developed a lot and many people know about it. On top of that, FINA will host the first high diving world championships this year.

For the future it will be very important to have more people and organisations working together to increase the possibilities of the sport.

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interview Niki Stajkovic, Sports Director 5-time Olympic competitor Nationality: Austrian Age: 54

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The 54 year-old Austrian is the sports director for the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series and in charge of everything that has to do with sports athletes, judges, locations and safety.

He selected the divers for the first season of the World Series and it is still part of his job to select the athletes for the qualification. All that goes along with the rules for cliff diving, and the 5-time Olympic competitor is the main person in charge. The World Series rulebook covers everything that goes with the sport, from diving specifics to conduct. On a yearly basis these rules are checked and improved.

As part of the official sports committee, he also tries to pick the jury from the pool of judges that are best qualified for the job. To ensure the scoring is at the highest level and also fair to the divers, the judges and their scores are evaluated after each competition.

The sports director has a tight travel plan: Once the countries interested in participating have sent some suggestions on what places are possible, he checks the location on site from a sporting perspective. A few requirements need to be fulfilled in order to host a competition and meet the safety needs of the divers.

Tasks in a competition week I usually get to the locations a bit earlier and I make sure that the platform has the right specifications as was advised to the host countries. It needs to be stable, as it should be a platform and not a springboard. It has to have the right height, which can vary as a lot of times we have to deal with the tides. The water depth is also one of the main security factors; we need to have at least five metres. Another issue is the safety procedure in case anything does happen. Together with the scuba team we go through the whole procedure. Whenever a diver enters the water they have to be there to assist him just in case. We basically explain the types of injuries that can happen, the procedure how an injured diver has to be transported; the whole chain of commands from the scuba divers to paramedics and doctors on site, who would then take him in a boat in a stretcher to

the ambulance or helicopter and from there to the hospital. Once they are at the doctors’ it’s basically out of our hands, as they are the experts in that area. We just make sure we get organised before.

During the competition and also during training I am right next to the platform. I am in touch with the event managers to let them know when the divers are ready to go out on the platform; but also the athletes let me know when something doesn’t work for them. I have to see the takeoff and the landing of a dive. If one takes off really close to the platform, the landing can be seriously bad or once I see they land in a way that they could be injured I give a so-called “bad landing” call and that sets off the chain of commands immediately. Luckily I don’t have to give the call very often, but if necessary that gets it going a bit quicker.

When it comes to weather conditions, like strong winds or lightning, and it has to do with safety – anything that goes over 40kph is usually too dangerous, especially when it’s gusty – I meet with the divers, as it’s their decision ultimately; however, if I see it’s not going to be safe, we’ll not conduct the event.

At the athletes’ meeting the divers get all the information about the location, what they have to look out for, the conditions, the weather and what they have to expect.

What’s the most interesting development you’ve observed in cliff diving in the past few years?

It’s amazing how much better they have gotten in terms of diving performance, physical fitness and increasing the difficulty. When we first started five years ago we had so many times that I was just really afraid. You know that one of them is about to do a new dive or a dive they’re not sure of and there were a lot more of these situations when they didn’t get the landing right. But at this year’s qualification competition we had a few new guys and it was incredible how well they were doing. They had two competitions and a lot of stress on their bodies and yet at the same time it seemed much better from the quality of diving. And for me better in the sense that I am not as scared that something will happen. We are always aware that something can happen and are always there but it’s not as scary as it was before.

Are the young divers today better and safer in their diving than the more experienced ones were when they started?

I think it’s something like universal learning – if the whole level gets better that’s all they see.

Everything they’ve been watching are the best divers in the world and they’ve been watching them on all kinds of TV channels and platforms like YouTube; and this is where they start, they don’t really know any different. They see the highest measure and that’s what they are aiming for.

In addition, there are more guys coming from regular diving and the reason for that could be that Red Bull Cliff Diving has a really good way of creating media attention and getting the words and pictures out into the world. It’s amazing how many people have heard about cliff diving and seen it. The athletes, who are in regular diving see that there is a lot more glory to cliff diving, a lot more attention, and what they bring along is all the technical and physical requirements. The only thing they need is the experience in the height and the feeling of how to control their dives. The ones that have that certain amount of “no fear” in them, they’ll do it. Three examples we have are David Colturi, Blake Aldridge and Gary Hunt. They were pretty good divers in Olympic diving and are now the ones who do some of the hardest dives and their execution is incredibly good.

How much do the new divers influence the sport?

The new guys have a little bond as being the rookies they push each other. As much as they push the older ones, the more experienced athletes realize that it’s not always the hardest dive that wins, but it depends on how good you execute them. Let’s take for example Orlando Duque, who’s definitely the most experienced; he knows when he needs to step it up. He lets them push him to a certain point and will only learn a new dive when he can’t win anymore. And when he does, he’s only going to do them when he knows he can do them for 10s as well. When an athlete wants to do a dive in the competition, the head judge and I need to see it before. If we see that the dive is not safe, we don’t let them do it.

I’ve been in the situation that I could see a diver’s not ready to do a certain dive, and then I really try to talk him out of it.

What’s your vision for the sport?

Last April FINA, the official body for world championships in diving, included cliff diving as a professional sport. This can be a way to access a wider audience, the divers find better facilities to train, and young talents have infrastructures to grow.

We’ll have the FINA World Championships this summer and then a lot of the regular platform divers will get aware of how much exposure and attention cliff diving creates. Beside that, the recognition by FINA could mean an Olympic medal in the sport’s future. This is what I’d love to see!

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DIVES

Acrobatic Diving from three times the height of Olympic diving requires acrobatic perfection. The athletes choose from 149 different dives, 5 take-off positions, 9 groups and 4 positions.

TAKE OFF POSITIONS & DIVE GROUPS The divers have to choose from these five take-off positions: front, back, inward, reverse, armstand, front twisting, back twisting, reverse twisting, inward twisting. ~ I n the front group (group 1), the diver takes off facing forwards and rotates forwards. ~ I n the back group (group 2), the diver takes off with his back to the water and rotates backwards. ~ I n the reverse group (group 3), the diver takes off facing forwards and rotates backwards. ~ I n the inward group (group 4), the diver takes off with his back to the water and rotates forwards. ~ E ach one of the four groups above can also incorporate an axial twisting movement and will therefore be considered among groups 5, 6, 7 and 8. ny dive commencing from a hand stand ~A is in the armstand group (Group 9). The armstand can be executed from either the forward or backward direction and can include twists as well.

DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY The degree of difficulty is the rating for the dives performed in a competition and is multiplied by the sum of the judges‘ scores, with the highest and lowest scores discarded.

The DD of a dive is evaluated on the basis of these figures: ~ Type of take off ~ Number of somersaults ~ Number of twists ~ Position during the somersaults ~ Type of entry The DD in the World Series ranges from 3.8 for the required dives to up to 6.3 for the sport’s currently hardest dives.

According to the official Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2013 rulebook, the jury has to judge what is seen and not what wants to be seen. Moreover, each dive has to be judged disregarding any bias toward the diver or dive to ensure an objective result.

WHAT DO THE JUDGES CONSIDER FOR THEIR SCORES? Head judge Claudio De Miro explains: „At the take-off we look at the elevation from the platform, the trajectory and the distance from the platform. The body position – pike, tuck or straight – is important during the execution; they have to be performed correctly. At the entrance, the most important things are the body alignment, the position of the arms and the splash.“ 46

Dive

Pike with knees straight but a tight bend at the hips.

Straight with no bend at the knees or hips.

Tuck body folded up into a tight ball, hands holding the shins and toes pointed.

Free a sequence of the above positions.

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DIVES

Dive BARANI One somersault forward rotation with a 1/2 twist. Used as an entry manoeuvre, it gives the diver the best view of the water.

FLYING POSITION “Fly” describes dives consisting of at least one complete somersault performed in the straight position for no less than 90°. The straight position must then be followed by either tuck or pike position.

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BLIND ENTRY The last time the diver sees the water is at least half a somersault before entry and so lines up “blind”.

TWIST A twist is any movement during a dive that occurs when the diver rotates around an imaginary vertical axis that runs from the head to the toes.

Up to four revolutions can be performed in competition and can be added to dives in the forward, back, reverse, inward and armstand categories.

DOS/DON’TS: WHAT DO THE JUDGES NOT WANT TO SEE AND WHAT DO THEY REGARD AS MISTAKES ~ Powerless take-offs, incorrect distance to the platform. ~ Unaesthetic execution, open or crossed legs, unpointed toes, legs that are not straight in pike or layout position or entry phase. ~ Short and non-vertical entries, under- or overtwisted entries.

WHEN DO THE JUDGES DEDUCT POINTS FROM THEIR SCORES? ~ If the arms at the entry are clearly extended above the head. ~ If the arms at the entry are away from the body but below the head. ~ For incomplete arm stands, as the body should come to rest in a vertical and straight alignment for no less than two full seconds before initiating the action of the dive. ~ “Flying” dives should display a full 90 degrees of rotation upon take-off before executing the described position. ~ If an obvious break of straight position occurs after at least one complete somersault has been performed in either tuck or pike position. ~ A break in position at or just before entry, an intermediate break of position and if a dive is done in a completely different position than announced.

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media outcome

It’s pure. It’s fascinating & jaw-dropping – cliff diving keeps spreading its unique spirit around the world.

The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series includes a dedicated international editorial service that integrates a skilled team of photographers, TV-crews and editors who produce editorial content and distribute news, pictures, stories and TV-footage to the international media, opening the sport up to a wider audience.

Millions of people around the globe read about cliff diving in their favourite daily paper, hear about it in the radio station of their choice and watch the competitions on TV or online.

What the media service provides in 2013 Moving Images 10 highlights of 52 minutes (HD), 8 travel, teaser, feature stories, action, event clips, news cuts Additional clips for web and TV

1273

Still Images Profiles Lifestyle Action Preparation Sequences Teaser Locations

Editorial texts per stop Pre-event release Teaser text Event release Story text Athletes quotes, profiles

1046

published print articles

2655 337 > 1682 69.000 media that reported on the event

TV reports

media on site

web articles on 815 different websites

634.000.000 spectators on site

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contacts

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encyclopedia

A-Z

Did you know that?

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Acapulco

In Acapulco, Mexico, pearl divers began to dive from the cliffs of La Quebrada in the 1930s – some with greater skill than others – in order to find the biggest and most valuable pearls. Legends recall the heights from which they jumped. The figure of 36 metres is inscribed into the top of the cliff; however many people talk about jumps in excess of 40 metres. The highest level on site is actually 25.90 metres above the sea.

arena

Arena is the official technical partner of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2013.

Blind Entry

The last time the diver sees the water is at least half a somersault before entry as he or she lines up ‘blind’.

Braking distance

The braking distance for a high dive from 27m is approximately 4m after entry into the water.

Chamois

The chamois or ‘shammy’ is a small towel that serves a few purposes.

It keeps the diver’s body dry before a dive.

This is important because the hands and legs need to be dry so as not to slip out of position in the air. At the same time, the athletes try to keep their hands wet – in the same way that some people wet the tips of their fingers to turn the pages of a book.

In case of low temperatures, the divers try to stay warm by drying their bodies with the chamois. It’s dry again as soon as you squeeze the water out of the towel.

Degree of difficulty

The degree of difficulty of a dive is evaluated on the basis of the following: takeoff, number of somersaults, number of twists, position during the somersaults and entry into the water.

Equipment

There is no need for equipment. Cliff diving is the athlete versus gravity – which is one of the main reasons why so many people are intrigued by the sport.

Evolution

Improvement and evolution are crucial aspects of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.

Besides offering jaw-dropping diving action, the World Series also intends to push the limits of high diving. Bringing together the best of their kind and providing them with a stable platform height and a set number of competitions broke new boundaries in its very first year of existence. Gary Hunt’s triple somersault with four twists – the Triple Quad – is the first dive conceived exclusively for cliff diving and has a degree of difficulty of 6.3.

The evolution of high diving, which began in 2009, continued in the past years following intense off-season preparation. More jawdropping action is guaranteed in 2013, with 27-metres dives into unforgiving, concrete-like water.

Female competition

A female competition will be held for the first time in the history of Red Bull Cliff Diving during the competition in Malcesine (ITA, July 13/14).

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encyclopedia

FINA

In April 2012 the Fédération Internationale de Natation, FINA, included high diving as a professional sport.

Free fall

During a dive from 27m, the athletes have about three seconds of free fall in which to perform their spectacular movements before they plunge into the water.

G-force

At the highest point, the G-force value increases to three, which means that the diver experiences a force equal to three times his own weight.

Guinness world record

There are two Guinness world records in cliff diving. Orlando Duque’s perfect dive during the WHDF Cliff Diving World Championship in Kaunolu, Hawaii, in 2000, when he performed a double back somersault with four twists from 24.40m. He earned a perfect 10 from all seven judges and scored 159.00 points; a number which has been noted as the highest scored dive ever. The Colombian has also participated in more world championships than any other cliff diver.

Height

High diving competitions are held at heights ranging from 18-23 metres for female and 20-28 metres for male divers. 26.5 metres – the minimum height in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series – is equivalent to an eight-storey building.

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Heroes

Outstanding achievements, broken records and unforgettable moments – cliff diving has its heroes, like King Kahekili, Enrique Apac Rios, Lucy Wardle, Olivier Favre and Orlando Duque.

Impact

The force of the impact is nine times harder than from the 10-metre platform and can also be compared with a hard landing from 13m on concrete.

Jury

An international jury of five people jugdge each dive. The judges consider take-off, position in the air and water entry and they award scores from 0 to 10.

Kahekili

In the 1770s, a no less illustrious personage than Kahekili, the last independent king of Maui, indulged in cliff diving in the 18th century.

Kamehameha

In the 19th century, the Hawaiian King, Kamehameha, was the first to allow the organisation of cliff diving contests with defined rules to determine the best and bravest athlete.

Kaunolu

Cliff diving is a very traditional discipline, which has its origin during the 1700s in Kaunolu, on the south western part of the Hawaiian island of Lanai.

Lele Kawa

Lele Kawa is an Hawaiian expression, meaning ‘leaping feet-first from a high cliff into water without making a splash’ and was used

by Kahekili, the last independent king of Maui, as an initiation rite for his warriors.

Locations

La Rochelle (FRA), Copenhagen (DEN), Azores, S. Miguel (POR), Malcesine (ITA), Boston (USA), Pembrokeshire (UK), Nitéroi, Rio de Janeiro (BRA) and the province of Krabi (THA) are the eight dazzling locations for the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2013.

Maximum height

The maximum height for competitions in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series is 28m.

Due to the rapid acceleration, almost no time benefit occurs from higher dives and the risk of injury increases disproportionately.

Mind

A lot of things go through a diver’s mind just before a dive: They rehearse the whole process mentally before stepping onto the platform. Some of them mimic the dive, recreate it in their heads and try to feel it.

In the last seconds before the dive they are completely focused and the fear is gone.

Origin

Cliff diving had its origin during the 1700s in Hawaii.

Pancake landing

A pancake landing, or crash landing, from cliff diving heights can be compared with a hard landing from 13 metres on concrete.

Platform

The platform must be a stable take-off board constructed with a minimum length of 1.5m, a minimum width of 0.75m and a water-sprayed rim at least 2m beyond the vertical line.

Pressure

The fact that the mere thought of a high dive in a neutral and relaxed environment sees the heart rate and the body tension rise to the same high level experienced before the actual execution – as proved at the Red Bull Diagnostics and Training Centre in Austria – underlines the mental and physical pressure the athletes are exposed to.

Requirements

The main requirements for high divers are an extensive technical education, many years of experience in diving or a similar acrobatic sport, as well as courage, self-confidence, extraordinary physical control and the ability to make decisions within fractions of a second based on the following impulses: sight, space, time and experience.

Risk

The highest risk of injury occurs during the water entry, when parts of the body are already exposed to absolute deceleration and others, above the surface, are still at top speed. Crash landings can be ruled out, however, because of the divers’ technical training and experience.

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encyclopedia

Safety

Twist

Skill

Vertical Position

Regulations for safety are a maximum height (28 metres), a minimum water depth (5 metres), a stable and water-sprayed platform with a minimum length of 1.5m and width of 0.75m and with a rim at least 2m beyond the vertical fall line, rescue divers, paramedics as well as an ambulance.

Most athletes reach their maximum technical skill and mental maturity at around 30 years of age. Besides a technical education, the main prerequisite for all high divers is at least 10 to 15 years of training in diving or a similar acrobatic sport. Another necessary requirement is the ability to make split-second decisions based on impulses such as sight, space, time and experience.

Somersault

A somersault is an acrobatic exercise in which a person rotates around the somersault axis, moving the feet over the head. It can be performed forwards, backwards or sideways and is an important part of each high dive.

Speed

From 27m, the speed at which you enter the water is 85-90kph; an acceleration that compares to a Lamborghini Murciélago.

Take-off

At the take-off, the diver leaves the platform.

After the take-off, the diver has about 10-12 metres in which to do his tricks. A good takeoff almost guarantees a good entry.

Training

A balanced training program includes springboard diving, flexibility and power training, as well as mental conditioning.

Triple Quad

Gary Hunt’s (GBR) triple somersault with four twists – the Triple Quad – is the first dive conceived exclusively for cliff diving and has a degree of difficulty of 6.3.

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A twist is one of the nine main groups in which dives are classified. Any dive incorporating an axial twisting movement comes under this group. Twists of up to four revolutions are performed in competitions and can be added to dives in the forward, back, reverse, inward and armstand categories.

To minimise the risk of injuries and the water splash, the water entry should be in a perfectly vertical position.

Water

Water is the central element in high diving.

Characteristics like temperature, density and colour play important roles when the diver approaches the entry point.

Water entry

The most dangerous part in cliff diving is the water entry. Even if the divers have a good line and break the water’s surface perfectly vertical, it still hurts. With their bodies under tremendous pressure, the water is like a wall; with forces nine times harder than those faced

by Olympic athletes from a 10-metre tower.

Web

www.redbullcliffdiving.com is the official website of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. It contains up-to-date news, divers’ profiles, picture galleries, videos and the latest information about the stops and results.

Zero protection

Cliff divers do not have any protection except their own experience. Their diving ability is their only protection against injuries.

Moving images, photos, press releases and audio files – during the entire season the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series provides the media with a variety of rich and distinct contents and formats.

Get what you want. It‘s quick and easy!

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FIND. There are several options to find your desired content. Search specifically by drop-down menus and editorial sections. Or simply search full text.

USE. Download your desired content in the format you need. All products are available in HD. Media contact

mediaservice@redbullcliffdiving.com publication RED BULL CLIFF DIVING MAGAZINE 2013 publisher Red Bull GmbH, Am Brunnen 1, A-5330 Fuschl am See produced by Red Bulletin Corporate Publishing, Heinrich-Collin-Str 1, A-1140 Vienna, redbulletin.com photography RED BULL CONTENT POOL (Romina Amato, Paulo Calisto, Balazs Gardi, Richie Hopson, Damiano Levati, Frode Sandbech, Dean Treml, Samo Vidic) ILLUSTRATIONS martin udovicic

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