Cliff divers set to soar feet first at Mayo's Downpatrick Head

THE world’s best cliff divers, featuring reigning champions Rhiannan Iffland from Australia and France’s Gary Hunt, are set to dive from a new launchpad on the sheer cliffs of Downpatrick Head in north Mayo on September 12.

After three Irish stops in the rough waters of Inis Mór, and more recently a showing in Dublin Bay, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series heads to Mayo where the Atlantic waters will again test these talented athletes to their limits for their fifth visit since 2012.

With at least one dive directly off the cliff, the 12 men and 12 women will get a chance to connect with the purity of the place and display their sport in its most natural form, before returning to the platforms for their more difficult diving manoeuvres.

Difficulty is a key element when it comes to successfully fighting for the highly contested King Kahekili trophy, awarded for the overall World Series champion title in both the women’s and men’s competition.

After the latest competition off the historic Old Bridge in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, it’s reigning champions Iffland and Hunt leading the rankings in the World Series. While it was the first victory for Hunt under the French flag, Australia’s Iffland added a 10th triumph to her three season long winning-streak.

The competition will be live on September 12 from 3 p.m. on https://www.redbull.com/int-en/event-series/redbull-cliffdiving, Red Bull TV, Facebook and YouTube