Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series Makes First Ever Philippine Stop

Rank Magazine
Rank Magazine February 25, 2019
Featured

The biggest event of the season makes its highly-anticipated debut in the Philippines! Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series kicks off its 11th season in El Nido, Palawan, on April 12th – 13th, 2019.

Gary Hunt of Great Britain before he dives from the 27 metre platform on Hong Island during the last competition day of the eighth and final stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, Krabi, Thailand on October 26th 2013.

This year, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series makes its regional debut in three brand new locations on its seven-stop global tour:

  • April 13  – El Nido, Palawan, Philippines – (NEW)
  • May 12 – Dublin, Ireland – (NEW)
  • June 2 – Polignano a Mare, Italy
  • June 22 – São Miguel, Azores, Portugal
  • July 14 – Beirut, Lebanon – (NEW)
  • August 24 – Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • September 14 – Bilbao, Spain

Twenty-four (24) professional male and female cliff divers from eighteen (18) nationalities take off for the clear emerald waters of the Small and Big Lagoon in Miniloc Island, including record champions Rhiannan Iffland (AUS) and Gary Hunt (GBR). However, each stop will feature four (4) wildcard divers seeking to earn their way up the ranks.

The divers will soar from heights of up to 27m at speeds in excess of 86km/h with nothing else but their concentration, skill, and physical control. Divers will be scored by an international jury who will grade each dive on the following metrics:

  • Take off
  • Position in the air
  • Entry in the water

Cliff Diving & Palawan’s Conservation

Just a forty-minute boat ride away from El Nido, Palawan, Miniloc Island provides divers and judges alike with a magnificent backdrop to the opening contests of the World Series’ 11th season. To raise additional awareness for El Nido’s conservation efforts, the Clean Cliffs Project (CCP) will run a number of educational and clean-up workshops on the island.

According to Carolyn Esmenda, Asst. Protection Area Management Board Superintendent (PAMB), “The grant to hold the event in a national park is not merely to draw more tourists, but to show the world our efforts to protect and preserve this paradise from the threats of mass tourism. I personally think the event can help convey to the world the need to protect paradise’s like ours though responsible tourism.”