The fifth stop of the 2015 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series competition is returning to the Azores for the fourth a successive year.
The extreme sports diving competition is being held Saturday, July 18, at the Ilhéu de Vila Franca do Campo, an islet offshore São Miguel island. The three previous competitions on the islet were held in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
For the first time in the history of the Bull Cliff Diving World Series , five women divers are participating in the competition, namely Rachelle Simpson (USA), Ginger Huber (USA), Cesilie Carlton (USA) and ) Lysanne Richard (Canada). The men athlete lineup includes Gary Hunt (UK), Balke Aldrige (UK), Orlando Duque (Colombia), David Colturi (USA) and Jonathan Paredes (Mexico).
Divers will leap from a platform situated 28 meters above the Atlantic Ocean to take a free fall from a monolith off the crater walls of the islet achieving speeds of approximately 85kph. Without the support of a rock solid platform the challenge creates a special thrill for the athletes and the spectators.
The 2015 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series underway, started April 10 in Cartagena (Colombia), and will end September 26, in Bilbao, Stops also include, La Rochelle (France), Texas (USA), Copenhagen (Denmark),Mostar (Bosnia, and Polignano a Mare (Italy).
Established in 2009, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series is a sport extreme international annual completion created in 2009 by Red Bull. The cliff diving events are limited to number competitors in a limited number of venues around the globe. Five international judges score each dive based on a scale of 0 to 10 in half-point increments.
Classified as a Nature Reserve, the Vila Franca do Campo islet is home to many species of birds, crustaceans and flora. Formed from the remains of a collapsed underwater volcano, the islet is named after the nearby Vila Franca do Campo.
2015 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series Official Website (PHOTOS) here.
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