Cliff Diving
From skyline to splashdown: the logistics of cliff diving in Boston
The milestone 100th stop on the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series calendar sees the tour touch down in Boston, but how exactly do you nail a cliff diving competition in the middle of a busy city?
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In its 100-stop history, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series has travelled the globe, challenging world-class divers in diverse locations that each hold their own set of challenges. From the remote islands of Rapa Nui to the mythical sinkholes near Chichen Izta, the bright lights of modern Dubai and the sacred waters of Takahicho in Japan, the World Series has pushed the boundaries of every diver that has stepped out onto the platform since 2009.
So far this year, divers have swapped the rocky cliffs of ancient Athens for the ultra-modern center of Boston and the second stop of 2024 the World Series is already testing the world's best divers, as they adapt to an entirely different diving environment just two weeks after the season opener in Greece.
So what is it like to dive in the bustling city on the East Coast of the United States and what challenges await the elite athletes when they plunge into the chilly waters of Boston Harbour?
Molly Carlson enjoys a rare blue sky day in Boston Harbour
© Dean Treml/Red Bull Content Pool
Changing tides
All the Red Bull Cliff Diving Boston diving action takes place from platforms perched above the waterfront Institute of Contemporary Art in the Seaport district, with the women diving from 21m and the men diving from the 27m platform. Nothing new there, right? Well, not quite.
The entry point for dives in the marina is exposed to the tides of Boston Harbour, meaning that the distance between the platform and the water's surface is continually changing throughout the day.
"Here in Boston we have the standard 21m and 27m platform, but we also have to deal with the tidal range. When it comes up to the high tide, we'll lose a bit of height between the water and the platform. Then when the tide goes back out, we then start to gain height, little by little," Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series sports director Orlando Duque explains.
The proximity of hi-rise buildings make wind a real issue in Boston
© Romina Amato/Red Bull Content Pool
When you’re standing on top of the ICA, the wind is funneled through all the big buildings around here. It can get very gusty
When you're dealing with divers that complete breath-taking aerial sequences in under three seconds at speeds up to 85kph, those little differences in height really count.
"Knowing that there's a tidal situation In Boston and that they may be losing or gaining some height, the divers need to be aware of that,” says Stephane Lapointe, the Canadian team coach. "So, if the tide is higher, the diver has to move a little bit faster or squeeze their rotations to make their dives complete – and vice versa. We give them all this information at an athlete’s briefing before the start of the day, so that they know the current and exact conditions, the time of the high tide, the tide difference and the variation in height so that they can adjust for it."
The more complex the dive, the more effect the tidal height can have. "There are some dives, especially in Round 3 and Round 4, where the divers can use almost all of the height from the platforms. In these cases it's very important to have all the information available, so that the divers can plan ahead of time and not only have safe dives, but very well executed dives to aim for high scores from the judges."
Nikita Fedotov shows just how close the platform is to big city towers
© Romina Amato/Red Bull Content Pool
The urban effect
"The temperature in Boston right now is fresh and we're looking at about 19°C, which is nice and comfortable," Duque stated on day one in Boston. These are, on the face of it, great diving conditions. But there’s more to the story.
Although being aware of general weather conditions is obviously useful for the divers, they also have to pay close attention to one particular, unpredictable meteorological feature - wind. Even a mildly strong breeze needs to be factored in, particularly in the urban landscape surrounding the ICA.
"When you’re standing on top of the ICA, the wind is funneled through all the big buildings around here. It can get very gusty up there, so the divers will definitely have to deal with that," Duque states. These urban-born gusts are created due to the Venturi effect - when air is reflected off the high-sided buildings, it's essentially squeezed through a narrowing, causing it to speed up. For the divers, this means sharp gusts can buffet them up on the platform or even mid-air during the dive.
Wind checks are vitally important in a gusty harbour like Boston
© Dean Treml/Red Bull Content Pool
Yolotl Martinez dives from Boston's Institute of Contemporary Arts building
© Dean Treml/Red Bull Content Pool
Reference points
Since 2011, when the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series made its first visit to Boston, the divers' entry spot in the marina in front of the ICA has remained the same. "The entry spot is the only area we have available for diving," Duque says. "It's a small opening in the marina, but it plays an important role. It gives the divers a good spot to see the water entry, calculate where the water is and plan for that."
Although the divers train outside of competition and have several warm-up dives before launching into the competition rounds, any opportunity to prepare and quickly become familiar with the diving environment is key. But it's not all about preparation, physical power and dexterity - there’s another skill at play in Boston.
The hidden skill
to compete at the top level and score highly in these kinds of unpredictable conditions, the elite World Series athletes have had to develop the skills to adapt and react, sometimes even during their adrenaline-inducing dives.
"You have to adapt to every situation. Boston is no different - it’s a completely different environment compared to Greece and to what we're going to find in a couple of weeks in Italy," explains Duque. "The divers have to go up on the platform and analyse the whole area around them. They have to see not only buildings on both sides, but how the marina looks – just get those reference points and adapt to the whole situation.
"Everything is completely different, so they're going to have to work through that. That's something that you can do only when you're on site. Each diver has their own routine they go through to prepare for their dives."
For the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series Boston veterans in the lineup, experience will definitely be an advantage. "Here in Boston we never know about the weather, so we have to adapt on the day," Lapointe says. "Sometimes it's cold, sometimes it’s rainy, sometimes it's super sunny. We're glad to come here for the third year in a row and we arrive with the experience from the first two years. It’s always easier to adapt compared to a brand-new location."
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