25 Jaw-Dropping Photos from the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series

 

 

Cliff diving is the purest extreme sport on earth. Take a high cliff, deep water and courage. What you get is all you need. No additional machinery, no protection whatsoever, just absolute concentration and complete body control. The equipment – a swimsuit – fits into your trouser pocket. The principle is simple; the complication is your own experience. Diving from heights of around 27m, the equivalent of an eightstorey building, has a long tradition but remained largely in the shadows until the start of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in May 2009, featuring the world’s best high divers.

At the moment, the official list of dives includes 149 different ways of combining somersaults and twists. Each diver has to choose his four competition dives from this list – with two required dives and two optional dives. The required dives have a set degree of difficulty (3.6) and must be performed from different take-off positions. The two optional dives must be from different dive groups and must be performed in alternating order for every competition throughout the whole season.

As the qualifiers wrap up for the start of the 2012 season, we look back at 25 jaw-dropping photos from the 2011 season that saw Gary Hunt (GBR) take home the crown for the second year in a row. Best of luck to all of the divers in 2012!

 

 

 

Artem Silchenko of Russia dives from the 27.5 meter platform at the fourth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at La Rochelle, France on June 18th 2011.

 

 

 

Orlando Duque of Colombia dives from the 27.25 metre platform during the second stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at Ik Kil cenote in Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico on April 10th 2011.

 

 

 

Gary Hunt of Great Britain dives from the 27 metre platform under the Swallow’s Nest Castle in front of 15,000 spectators during the seventh and final stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, Yalta, Ukraine on September 4, 2011.

 

 

 

Michal Navratil (cze) dives from the 27.5 meter platform during the first round of the fourth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at La Rochelle, France on June 18th 2011.

 

 

 

Cyrille Oumedjkane of France dives from the 27 metre platform on the Institute of Contemporary Art building at Fan Pier during the first training session of the sixth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, Boston, USA on August 18th 2011.

 

 

 

Sacha Kutsenko of Ukraine dives from the 26.8 metre platform during the third stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at Lake Vouliagmeni in Athens, Greece on May 22nd 2011.

 

 

 

Sacha Kutsenko of the Ukraine dives from the 27.25 metre platform during the first round of the second stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at Ik Kil cenote in Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico on April 9th 2011.

 

 

 

Alain Kohl of Luxemburg dives from the 27 metre platform on Scaliger Castle during the first training session of the fifth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, Malcesine, Italy on July 22nd 2011.

 

 

 

Artem Silchenko of Russia dives from the 27 metre platform under the Swallow’s Nest Castle in front of 15,000 spectators during the seventh and final stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, Yalta, Ukraine on September 4, 2011.

 

 

 

Hassan Mouti of the France dives from the 27 metre platform on Scaliger Castle during the first training session of the fifth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, Malcesine, Italy on July 22nd 2011.

 

 

 

Alain Kohl of Luxembourg dives from the 27.5 meter platform at the fourth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at La Rochelle, France on June 18th 2011.

 

 

 

Sasha Kutsenko of the Ukraine dives from the 27 metre platform during the second round of the of the fifth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, Malcesine, Italy on July 24th.

 

 

 

Jorge Ferzuli of Mexico dives from the 27 metre platform under the Swallow’s Nest Castle in front of 15,000 spectators during the seventh and final stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, Yalta, Ukraine on September 4, 2011.

 

 

 

Artem Silchenko of Russia dives from the 27 metre platform during the first training session prior to the fifth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, Malcesine, Italy on July 22th 2011.

 

 

 

Michal Navratil of the Czech Republic dives from the 27 metre platform on Scaliger Castle during the fifth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at Lake Garda in Malcesine, Italy on July 24th 2011.

 

 

 

Orlando Duque of Colombia dives from the 27 metre platform during the first stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, Mataveri Otai Bay, Easter Island, Chile on March 12th 2011.

 

 

 

Orlando Duque of Colombia dives from the 27.25 metre platform during the first training session prior to round two of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at Ik Kil cenote in Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico on April 8th 2011.

 

 

 

Hassan Mouti of France dives from the 27 metre platforme during first stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, Mataveri Otai Bay, Easter Island, Chile on March 12th 2011.

 

 

 

Andy Jones of the USA dives from the 26.5 metre platform on the Institute of Contemporary Art building at Fan Pier during the second training session of the sixth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, Boston, USA on August 19th 2011.

 

 

 

Gary Hunt of Great Britain dives from the 27.25 metre platform during the second stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at Ik Kil cenote in Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico on April 10th 2011.

 

 

 

Jorge Ferzuli of Mexico dives from the 26.8 metre platform during the third stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at Lake Vouliagmeni in Athens, Greece on May 22nd 2011.

 

 

 

Gary Hunt of England dives from the 27 metre platform on the Institute of Contemporary Art building at Fan Pier during the first training session of the sixth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, Boston, USA on August 18th 2011.

 

 

 

Artem Silchenko of Russia dives from the 26.8 metre platform during the third stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at Lake Vouliagmeni in Athens, Greece on May 22nd 2011.

 

 

 

Michal Navratil of the Czech Republic dives from the 27.5 meter platform at the fourth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at La Rochelle, France on June 18th 2011.

 

 

 

Kent De Mond of USA dives from the 27 metre platform under the Swallow’s Nest Castle during the first training session of the seventh and final stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, Yalta, Ukraine on September 2, 2011.