Every sport has its dangers, but plunging 100
feet into a watery abyss between jagged rocks surely ranks cliff diving as one
of the most terrifying.
But for competitors in the Red Bull Cliff Diving series taking place in the Portuguese islands of the Azores, it's all part and parcel of the job.
Leaping from a rock monolith, the divers throw themselves into the Atlantic Ocean with the scant consolation that at least the water below that greets them- if they manage to avoid the rocks that is - is a comfortable 22 degrees.
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But for competitors in the Red Bull Cliff Diving series taking place in the Portuguese islands of the Azores, it's all part and parcel of the job.
Leaping from a rock monolith, the divers throw themselves into the Atlantic Ocean with the scant consolation that at least the water below that greets them- if they manage to avoid the rocks that is - is a comfortable 22 degrees.
Read More
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| American diver David Colturi leaps into the waters below during the World Cliff Diving series |
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| The rocky outcrop of Villa France do Campi, where the series is taking place, lies 850 miles west of mainland Europe |
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| American diver Kent De Mond, pictured right leaping into the Atlantic Ocean, currently stands at the top of the leader board after the first round of proceedings |
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| American diver Kent De Mond, pictured right leaping into the Atlantic Ocean, currently stands at the top of the leader board after the first round of proceedings |
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| The third stop of the Red Bull
Cliff Diving World Series is taking place on the Islet of Vila Franca do Campo
in the sunny Azores |
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| The latest leg of the World
Series is the first time in the history of the competition that athletes have
jumped directly from rocks |
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| The athletes climbed a precarious-looking wooden ladder to reach the platform, almost 100 feet above the sea, for their jumps |
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| The athletes climbed a precarious-looking wooden ladder to reach the platform, almost 100 feet above the sea, for their jumps |
