MANILA: For the first time, Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series will be held in the Philipines with the 11th season scheduled for April 13 on Maniloc Island in El Nido, Palawan.
According to a report from The Manila Times, seven-time men’s champion Gary Hunt of the United Kingdom and three-time reigning women’s titlist Rhiannan Iffland of Australia will lead 24 professional cliff divers from 18 countries who will vie for supremacy in the annual tournament.
Cliff diving is a demanding sport that requires concentration, physical control and diving skills from heights of up to 27 meters (88 feet) at speeds of 85 km/h.
International judges will score each diver based on their take-off, position in the air and entry in the water, said the Times report.
Round 1 and 2 of the competition will be held in the Small Lagoon, which boasts towering limestone rocks and corals. More difficult optional dives can be performed in the Big Lagoon featuring pointed limestone cliffs.
With El Nido included in the El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area, Red Bull has partnered with Clean Cliffs Project to conduct educational and clean-up workshops in the island.
“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,” the Times report quoted Carolyn Esmenda, protected area superintendent of the Department of
Environment and National Resources-MIMAROPA, as saying.
“I personally think the event can help convey to the world the need to protect paradises like ours through responsible tourism,” she added.
After the El Nido stop, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series will head to Dublin, Ireland on May 12, Polignano a Mare, Italy on June 2, São Miguel, Azores, Portugal on June 22, Beirut, Lebanon on July 14, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina on August 24 and Bilbao, Spain on September 14, according to the report.