The Return of Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series
The highly-anticipated 2023 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series season opener is set to kick off on June 3rd at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), located on the historic South Boston waterfront where art and sport will intersect.
The renowned global cliff diving competition is open to the public free of charge. Spectators are encouraged to arrive early, at 10am ET when gates open, to secure the best outdoor viewing experience possible as space is limited for the competition, which officially gets underway at noon.
“It’s going to be incredible to be back in Boston,” said Ellie Smart, Red Bull athlete and Red Bull Cliff Diving standout. “Last year, the spectators came out and made the entire experience electric for us. We are hoping to see the same thing this year.”
Returning to defend their 2022 Boston event wins, Molly Carlson of Canada and Aidan Heslop of Great Britain will be back in the lineup for the 2023 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. Alongside them, 2022 overall Series Champion Rhiannan Iffland of Australia, and Gary Hunt of France will also make their way back to the competition in an attempt to secure another series title. Hot on their heels will be a crop of young and talented athletes hoping to dethrone the champs, including returning American diver Smart, as well as new American permanent divers Meili Carpenter and James Lichtenstein.
At each stop of the 2023 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, 12 women and 12 men compete to earn maximum championship points in their quest for the glorious King Kahekili Trophy. There will be 8 female and 8 male permanent divers and 4 wildcards for each division, totaling 24 divers vying for the title.
The platforms for the men are 27m (88.5ft) high and 21m (69ft) high for the women, with divers entering the water at speeds in excess of 50mph. The performance of each dive is evaluated by a panel of judges, taking into account the divers’ acrobatic skills and artistic expression in the ultimate display of focus and skill. From remote places to urban locations, oceans, rivers, calm and wild waters, the uniqueness of each diving site adds to the magic of these unparalleled sporting competitions watched by thousands of spectators on site or on screen. Seven stops between June and November will define the overall champions in the 14th season of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
New for 2023, each diver is required to perform a minimum of four different takeoff directions (out of five) per stop, highlighting more diversity of the dives and rewarding more well-rounded athletes. In addition, a Best Dive Award has been added at each stop presented to the athlete with the highest judges score, with the winner receiving an additional 10 points towards the final standings of the World Series. 2023 also sees the addition of three new stops to the World Series (Auckland, New Zealand; Takachiho, Japan; and Stockholm, Sweden) as well as three new athletes in the permanent lineup (Meili Carpenter, James Lichtenstein, and Miguel Garcia).
The event is free-to-attend for fans to view dives from the ground surrounding the ICA and waterfront. For fans looking for an in-person VIP experience, tickets are available to the exclusive VIP hospitality yacht. Those on the VIP boat will enjoy live streaming of the event via TVs, outdoor deck access, food and drink, and more. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.
For at-home fans, Catch all the action from Red Bull Cliff Diving in Boston live on ESPN+ from 1-2:30 pm ET on Saturday, June 3rd and Sunday, June 4th on ESPN from 3-5 pm ET. The show will also be available on Red Bull TV following the ESPN broadcast.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS – JUNE 3rd
(*Subject to change)
10am ET: Gates Open to Public & Media
10:45am ET: Warmup Dives
12:00pm ET: Competition Starts
1:00pm ET: Men’s Finals
1:40pm ET: Women’s Finals
2:15pm ET: Award Ceremony
MEN’S ROSTER
Permanent Divers Aidan Heslop – United Kingdom Catalin Preda – România Constantin Popovici – România Gary Hunt – France Miguel Garcia – Colombia Nikita Fedotov – Independent James Lichtenstein – USA (Illinois) Oleksiy Prygorov – Ukraine |
WOMEN’S ROSTER
Permanent Divers Rhiannan Iffland – Australia Meili Carpenter – USA (Colorado) Jessica Macaulay – Canada Iris Schmidbauer – Germany Molly Carlson – Canada Xantheia Pennisi – Australia Yana Nestsiarava – Independent Ellie Smart – USA (Missouri) |
SOCIAL MEDIA:
We invite you to follow the World Series on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and YouTube.
Maureen Dahill is the editor of Caught in Southie and a lifelong resident of South Boston sometimes mistaken for a yuppie. Co-host of Caught Up, storyteller, lover of red wine and binge watching TV series. Mrs. Peter G. Follow her @MaureenCaught.
Cool event ! If you’ve never seen it , it’s a worthwhile endeavor ! Boston Harbor hotel is a great venue to witness the events . Serious world class divers. Thanks for the heads up Maureen,