THE CLIFF DIVING ‘ESSENTIALS’ IT’D BE AN EXAGGERATION TO CALL THIS HEADING ‘ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT’, AS WE’VE ALL LEARNED THAT CLIFF DIVERS DON’T NEED MUCH MORE THAN A SUPER-FIT BODY AND A STRONG MIND, A HIGH CLIFF AND A STRETCH OF WATER BENEATH TO ENJOY THEIR PURE SPORT. AND, OF COURSE, COURAGE! BUT THAT’S ABOUT IT AND EVERYTHING MENTIONED HERE IS PROBABLY A MERE MEANS TO AN END, A FOND HABIT OR SOMETHING THAT PROVIDES EASE AND COMFORT.
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FIND HERE THE LIST OF THINGS A CLIFF DIVER NEVER LEAVES THE HOUSE WITHOUT:
Speedos & swimsuit – No matter what, when cliff divers travel, they always carry their ‘speedos’ – diving lingo for swimming trunks – and swimsuits in their hand-luggage. In cliff diving, this is the only real piece of equipment and some of the divers wear more than one when diving from great heights. You might be tempted to say that they wear as many as possible because they’ve got so many but that’s only one half of the truth. The other half is that the impact on the water is so strong, that putting some extra layers between your skin and the water takes away a bit of the impact. Also, it has been known for speedos to rip upon water entry, so wearing an extra pair can help maintain a diver’s dignity!
Shammy – The chamois or ‘shammy’ is a small towel that serves more than one purpose. First, it keeps the diver’s body dry before a dive. This is important because the hands and legs need to be dry so as not to slip out of position in the air. At the same time, the athletes try to keep their hands wet – in the same way that some people lick their fingertips before turning the page of a book. In case of low temperatures, the divers also use the chamois to dry their bodies and stay warm. It’s also dry again as soon as you wring it out! Flip-flops – Never ask cliff divers why there are so many different kinds of shoes – they won’t have an answer. Because all they need, wear and use are flip-flops: to climb slippery rocks or ladders, walk the platform, travel and even go out. Flip-flops, paired with the shammy, are the two things that make it to the water even before the diver; knotted together, they are thrown down the cliff – sometimes right on top of a scuba diver – and are immediately picked up by the athletes as soon as they surface. Never separate those besties for too long!