Anniversary Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series season to celebrate 100 tour stops tackling classic and original locations worldwide

Three seconds of aesthetic freefalls from up to 27 metres above the water, redefining the boundaries of human capability, dives of increasing complexity with unparalleled precision, and speeds in excess of 85 kilometres per hour, defying gravity and expectation – the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series remains true to its unwavering values and celebrates the achievement of over 100 tour stops and more than 100 athletes in 15 seasons.

VIDEO Cliff Diving World Series 2024

The biggest news in short

In terms of venues, Northern Ireland and Canada are brand new additions to the eight-stop strong schedule this year, alongside iconic classics. In regard to athletes, Simone Leathead (CAN) and Carlos Gimeno (ESP) are the latest additions to the permanent divers lineup, who will tackle the tour alongside the biggest names in the sport.

Dipping deeper into the 2024 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series calendar

The new season launches in style in Athens, Greece, in May, with the World Series returning to the birthplace of sporting excellence for the first time since 2011. It will mark the first time that the women's category has touched down in this iconic location and for the men’s category, it's also a brand new stop for the current lineup as no athletes from the 2009 or 2011 events are still competing.

June then kicks-off a packed summer schedule with two stops. First up, the World Series goes stateside, returning to sport-mad city Boston, where the divers will launch from platforms on the roof of the Institute of Contemporary Art in a celebration of the 100th tour stop since the introduction in 2009.

The divers will then switch continents, heading back to Europe for Polignano a Mare in Italy. The beautiful Puglia town – known as the home of European cliff diving - will host the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series for the 11th time. Witness jaw-dropping aerial artistry from up to 27m, set against picture-perfect beach coves and an azure Adriatic Sea.

July welcomes the first of two new locations on the 2024 calendar, as the divers go all-in for the fourth stop of the season on Northern Ireland's Causeway Coast. The wider area was featured as Game of Thrones country on TV screens across the world, where the dark, choppy waters of the Atlantic meet the rugged cliffs of the Causeway Coast. Expect plenty of high drama as the athletes test their limits from three different take-off locations, including off-the-cliff rounds.

 August marks the mid-point in the 2024 season, with the divers launching into the cool blue waters of the Oslofjord in Norway. Spectators can get a fresh perspective on all the diving action, watching from the uniquely designed roof of the Oslo Opera House as the divers throw down a series of daring dives from the 30m long platform – the longest in the tour's history – in a quest to pick up maximum points.

Just two weeks later, August wraps with another brand-new location for the sixth instalment of the season. Divers will head to Canada – the home turf of legend-in-the-making Molly Carlson and rookie permanent diver Simone Leathead – for its inaugural Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series event.

The countdown to the crowning of the champions starts in September, when the World Series returns to Antalya in Turkey. Atatürk Park, at the heart of the Turkish metropolis's marina, has previously hosted the elite cliff divers only once before, in the debut year of 2009, when only the men competed. With 15 years separating the two visits to the Turkish location, like Athens, it'll be a brand-new adventure for the 2024 class. And as the season’s penultimate stop, Antalya will prove a pivotal point, where one great dive or untimely mistake can decide titles.

The last stop on the 2024 calendar takes place in the home of defending World Series champion and cliff diving legend Rhiannan Iffland, when Sydney once again hosts the season’s grand finale. Another November Down Under will be the last battleground for the title in 2024, where the King Kahekili trophy will be awarded to the best female and male high divers of the year.

Who are the fresh faces and lookouts in the fight for the crowns?

The 15th season welcomes a new generation of permanent cliff divers, as four new athletes will freshen up the roster. Former wildcards Simone Leathead (CAN) and Colombia’s Maria Paula Quintero join the women’s category. 2017’s overall champion Jonathan Paredes from Mexico makes a triumphant return to the men's permanent diver list alongside the world’s best, joined by former wildcard Carlos Gimeno (ESP), who soared his way into third place overall last season.

12 male and 12 female athletes are expected to start each event during the Red Bull Cliff Diving 2024 season, with eight men and women confirmed in the permanent lineup. The rest of the field will be buoyed with up to four wildcards per category.

A brief look back at 2023 reminds us of the fight that lasted until the season’s last dive in the men’s category which ended in the first title win for Romania’s Constantin Popovici ahead of Aidan Heslop, Britain’s new cliff diving superstar. In the women’s it was again Rhiannan Iffland from Australia who defended her title for another year ahead of Canada’s Molly Carlson, and Xantheia Pennisi, another Australian finishing in the overall top three.

What else is brand new and worth knowing in this sport that combines aesthetic free falls from up to almost three times the Olympic diving height and speeds in excess of 85 km/h?

During three days of competition, divers from 17 different countries will push the boundaries of this rapidly progressing sport and produce two new champions during eight testing competitions as they leap, twist and somersault from astonishing heights.

Pure concentration, body brilliance and mental mastery are the mandatory components in the athletes’ quest for the glorious King Kahekili Trophy at venues ranging from natural wonders and visual feasts to historic sites and untouched waters.

2024 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series Calendar

May 26 – Athens, GRE
June 8 – Boston, USA
June 30 – Polignano a Mare, ITA
July 20 – Causeway Coast, NIR
August 10 – Oslo, NOR
August 25 – Montreal, CAN
September 29 – Antalya, TUR
November 10 – Sydney, AUS

 Cliff Diving on Horydoly

2017 Duque and Jimenez Dominate Cliff Diving Azores (ENG

2013 Cliff Diving: Mission accomplished (ENG)

2009 INTERVIEW Orlando Duque (CZE)