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Displaying items by tag: Red Bull Cliff Diving

Ballycastle, Northern Ireland, is all set to host a leg of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2024. This July, the global event will witness the world’s best cliff divers competing against each other on the beautiful Causeway Coast. This will be the first time Northern Ireland will host such an event, and it's going to be a spectacular one.

The event, which is free for the public, will take place on the fourth stop of the series. Ballycastle, situated within the Glens of Antrim, is an area of outstanding natural beauty. The choppy Atlantic waters of Ballycastle will prove to be a danger and a delight for the divers competing. The beautiful backdrop of the Causeway Coast will only add to the charm of the event.

The mid-season point of the series, this stop will test the divers' limits as they contend with challenging conditions, including fearsome winds. The roster of 24 male and female divers will dive and twist through the air from heights of up to 27 meters, plunging into the cold Atlantic at over 85 kmph.

As Afloat previously reported, The event is expected to attract tens of thousands of people, all hoping to witness a spectacle like no other. The competition will get underway at 4 pm on both days, and it's sure to be an unforgettable experience for everyone.

Previous stops of Red Bull's iconic World Series on these shores were held at the famous Serpent’s Lair in Inis Mór, and Dublin hosted the event for the first time in 2019 with a record-breaking attendance in Dún Laoghaire. The series headed back West to the cliffs of Downpatrick Head on its last stop in Ireland in 2021.

The reigning champions, Rhiannan Iffland from Australia and Constantin Popovici from Romania, will be the ones to watch out for. However, as this is the 15th season of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, there are sure to be plenty of thrills and spills throughout the season as the divers battle it out to claim the coveted King Kahekili Trophy.

The full calendar of the 2024 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series is as follows: Athens, Greece - May 26th, Boston, USA - June 8th, Polignano a Mare, Italy - June 30th, Ballycastle, Northern Ireland - July 19th & 20th, Oslo, Norway - August 10th, Canada - August 25th, Antalya, Turkey - September 29th, and Sydney, Australia - November 10th.

#ISLAND NEWS - Champion cliff diver Orlando Duque paid a visit to Cong in Co Mayo recently to give a taster of what we can expect when Red Bull Cliff Diving comes to the Aran Islands this August.

As the video above shows, the nine-time World Champion from Colombia dived from the unusual platform of a helicopter hovering high over the water at Ashford Castle.

But it will be just his fellow competitors, the rocks and the waves to contend with at the Serpent's Lair in Inis Mór on 3-4 August at the fourth stop of the 2012 World Series, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

“The Serpent’s Lair is one of those places you only hear stories about,” said Duque ahead of the first ever World Series in 2009. “Finding this place and being able to dive there was one of the highlights of my career."

Published in Island News

SB20 (formerly Laser SB3) information

Designed by Tony Castro, the SB20 is a British-built strict one-design 6.15m keelboat conceived as a wide appeal, affordable, competitive sportsboat for teams of three or four sailors. It is also, arguably, the most successful sportsboat in the world with 800 owners competing regularly in a programme of exciting local, national and international events.

Originally known as the Laser SB3, the SB20 continues to deliver on its pioneering promise: a boat that is fun, fast and easy to sail by anyone of any age; the best value-for-money sportsboat in the market.

The Laser SB3 was designed by Castro and launched in 2002. In 2007 the Laser SB3 was awarded ISAF Recognised Status and the first World Championships were held in Ireland in 2008. In 2012, Tony Castro appointed a new builder, Sportsboat World. At this time, the Laser SB3 was renamed the SB20 and building was returned to the UK from Malaysia. The ethos of the class continues.

The boat is a strict one-design class, economic to buy and campaign, easy to sail with a simple deck layout and electric downwind performance delivered by the generous sail plan. The boat has a lifting keel, can easily be launched from a slipway and towed behind a family car.

Previous SB20 World Champions

2008 GBR: Geoff Carveth, Roger Gilbert, Roz Allen & Sarah Allan

Host National Yacht Club, Dun laoghaire, Ireland

2009 GBR: Craig Burlton, Stephen White, Adam Heeley

Host Clube Naval de Cascais, Cascais, Portugal

2010 GBR: Jerry Hill, Grant Rollerson, Joe Llewellyn

Host Circolo Vela Torbole, Lake Garda, Italy

2011 GBR: Geoff Carveth, Andy Ramus, Ian Mills & Emma Clarke

Host Royal Torbay Yacht Club, Torquay, UK

2012 GBR: Geoff Carveth, Lesley Dhonau, Roger Hudson & Asenathi Jim

Host Hamilton Island Yacht Club, Queensland, Australia

2013 GRB: Craig Burlton, Stephen White, Adam Heley Host COYCH Club, Hyeres, France