This weekend, a picturesque coastal town in Northern Ireland was taken over by none other than Red Bull and transformed into an extreme cliff diving venue.
The picturesque harbour of Ballycastle became the venue for the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
Thrill-seeking divers performed incredible acrobatics after launching themselves from boards 27 metres above the Irish Sea.
Ballycastle Harbour was the athlete’s fourth stop as part of the Red Bull Cliff Diving Series, following Athens, Greece, Boston, USA and Polignano a Mare, Italy.
Their next stop? Oslo, Norway.
A picturesque coastal town in Northern Ireland was taken over by none other than Red Bull this weekend and transformed into an extreme cliff diving location
Thrill-seeking divers performed incredible acrobatics after throwing themselves from boards 88 feet above the Irish Sea
Athletes including Romania’s Constantin Popovici (pictured) dive from heights of more than 88 feet above the Irish Sea
The women jump from a height of 20 meters, while the men launch themselves from a platform 27 meters above the sea
But the Area of ​​Outstanding Natural Beauty did not disappoint.
A spokesman for the event in Northern Ireland said: ‘The turbulent Atlantic waters at Ballycastle are set in the Glens of Antrim, an area of ​​outstanding natural beauty. It will be both a hazard and a delight for competitors and spectators.’
Despite the grey skies, crowds gathered on the Causeway Coast to watch this extreme sport.
In each event, twelve men and twelve women compete for the maximum number of championship points.
The women jump from a height of 20 meters, while the men launch themselves from a platform 27 meters above sea level.
The jump lasts just three seconds and unlike Olympic divers, cliff divers have no choice but to enter the water feet first.
Each diver is judged by a panel on his acrobatics and artistic movements during the dive.
Britain’s Aidan Heslop greets the crowd from the 88-foot platform during the final day of competition
Heslop dives from the 88-foot platform in Ballycastle Harbour
US’s James Lichtenstein dives into himself as he jumps from platform in Northern Ireland
Australia’s Rhiannan Iffland wraps her arms around her as she prepares to dive
UK’s Archie Biggin spins upside down as spectators watch from the harbour below
Ginni Van Katwijk from the Netherlands dives from the 68-foot platform during the second day of competition on the Causeway Coast
Independent athlete Nikita Fedotov performs an acrobatic trick in the air while jumping from the platform
Britain’s Aidan Heslop (left) and Australia’s Rhiannan Iffland pose for a portrait with the winner’s trophies during the 2024 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Ballycastle Harbour
At the end of each season, a champion is crowned in each category, who receives the coveted King Kahekili Trophy.
The trophy is named after the founder of the extreme sport: King Kahekili.
He was a Hawaiian chief who jumped from the sacred cliffs of Kaunolo in the 18th century.
In Ballycastle Harbour it was Britain’s Aidan Heslop who overpowered his rivals and took home the trophy.
He excelled in the cold, wet and windy conditions and took victory by an impressive margin of 46 points.