Lele Kawa
Lele Kawa is an Hawaiian expression, meaning ‘leaping feet-first from a high cliff into water without making a splash’ and was used by Kahekili, the last independent king of Maui, as an initiation rite for his warriors.
Locations
La Rochelle (FRA), Copenhagen (DEN), Azores, S. Miguel (POR), Malcesine (ITA), Boston (USA), Pembrokeshire (UK), Nitéroi, Rio de Janeiro (BRA) and the province of Krabi (THA) are the eight dazzling locations for the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2013.
Maximum height
The maximum height for competitions in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series is 28m. Due to the rapid acceleration, almost no time benefit occurs from higher dives and the risk of injury increases disproportionately.
Mind
A lot of things go through a diver’s mind just before a dive: They rehearse the whole process mentally before stepping onto the platform. Some of them mimic the dive, recreate it in their heads and try to feel it. In the last seconds before the dive they are completely focused and the fear is gone.
Origin
Cliff diving had its origin during the 1700s in Hawaii.
Pancake landing
A pancake landing, or crash landing, from cliff diving heights can be compared with a hard landing from 13 metres on concrete.
Platform
The platform must be a stable take-off board constructed with a minimum length of 1.5m, a minimum width of 0.75m and a water-sprayed rim at least 2m beyond the vertical line.
Pressure
The fact that the mere thought of a high dive in a neutral and relaxed environment sees the heart rate and the body tension rise to the same high level experienced before the actual execution – as proved at the Red Bull Diagnostics and Training Centre in Austria – underlines the mental and physical pressure the athletes are exposed to.
Requirements
The main requirements for high divers are an extensive technical education, many years of experience in diving or a similar acrobatic sport, as well as courage, self-confidence, extraordinary physical control and the ability to make decisions within fractions of a second based on the following impulses: sight, space, time and experience.
Risk
The highest risk of injury occurs during the water entry, when parts of the body are already exposed to absolute deceleration and others, above the surface, are still at top speed. Crash landings can be ruled out, however, because of the divers’ technical training and experience. 55