Red Bull Cliff Diving Champions Embark on Diving Safari in South Africa
On the
lead up to the upcoming Red Bull Cliff
Diving World Series – Season 11 kick-off in El Nido, Palawan, World Series
Champions Rhiannan Iffland (AUS) and Gary Hunt (GBR) have embarked on a
cliff diving safari in South Africa.
The
record-breaking duo, Iffland and Hunt, scouted a number of locations that
included majestic cataract falls and what is regarded as the greenest canyon on
Earth at the Drakensberg escarpment in eastern Mpumalanga, South Africa.
Iffland and Hunt found themselves particularly taken by Bourke’s Luck Potholes
as an untouched diving spot.
“It was
just incredible,” says 3-time Women’s World Series Champion, Rhiannan Iffland.
“To come here, to experience the culture, to go on a safari and to dive at this
mind-blowing location, it’s something special and it’s really something that
I’m going to remember.”
South
Africa’s Mpumalanga province is decorated with numerous waterfalls that include
the Lisbon and Berlin Falls. The glorious sight of the jade-coloured water
basins and cylindrical rock sculptures in Bourke’s Luck Potholes inspired cliff
diving’s most decorated athletes to execute free-falls of up to 27m at speeds
in excess of 85km/h before the season opener in the Philippines.
“The first
high dives of the year are always a little bit nerve-racking,” shares Gary Hunt.
“I have enough experience now to not be in a situation where my legs are
shaking so much. In previous years it's been really tough, but I am much more
confident in myself.”
Although 7-time
champion Hunt is the one to catch, the ‘brilliant Brit’ knows it’s all up for
grabs this season in the Men’s World Series. “My goal
is to keep the title. It was a very close race last year and it was a shaky
start so I would love to get off to a very strong start and stamp my foot down
on this year’s title.”
For laid-back
Rhiannan Iffland, the goal is to be more consistent and build bigger dives all
through the season, while enjoying every adventure that comes along the way.
“Each new
location is exciting, and it makes cliff diving feel brand new,” says Iffland.
“That’s something I really love, to come out into exotic places like this and
just explore and really challenge myself as a diver.”
The safari
through South Africa was everything Rhiannan Iffland and Gary Hunt needed in
order to recharge their senses for the World Series’ 11th season.
From diving into the fresh, jade waters of Bourke’s Luck Potholes to tossing
coins over their shoulders into the canyon to leave bad luck behind, the
champions are more than ready to kick-off the 2019 World Series in El Nido, Palawan!
Where to Watch Red Bull Cliff Diving World
Series
Catch the
live broadcast from El Nido on Red Bull TV, Facebook and Youtube on April 13th,
2019. Viewers in the Philippines may also watch the full event, along with the
remaining six stops of the 2019 World Series, on S+A and iWant Sports (iwant.ph), 5PLUS and 5plus.com.ph, FOX Sports, FOX Sports GO, FOX+ app,
online at http://www.foxsports.ph and on iFlix VOD service.
We also invite you to follow the World Series on Facebook (win.gs/cliffdivingelnido), Instagram (@redbullcliffdiving) and
Twitter (@cliffdiving).
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