Gary Hunt stood on a ledge 90 feet in the air.
Below was a tiny rectangular sea-pool, perhaps 20 feet wide.
The wind was tugging at the lonely Brit as he stared down at the seemingly tiny pool below.
His plan? A few flips, a few twists, and a splashless landing.
The 2017 Cliff Diving World Series championship opened on June 24 in Inis Mor, Ireland. A few dozen competitors took tunes flinging themselves off a cliff wall into a tiny pool.
The sea was surging, the wind was wild, and still these artists performed.
Great Britain’s Gary Hunt won the round.
Winning the first competition was really, really a big deal for me,” Hunt said. “I wanted to start off strong and I kind of felt like it was slipping away from me and I had started to get used to the fact that I was going to have to fight back and come back stronger in the later rounds but now to have a couple of weeks off and know that I’ve got a good start is an amazing feeling.”
Britain’s Blake Aldridge finished second and Andy Jones of the United States scored in third.
Women compete as well.
Defending champion Australia’s Rhiannan Iffland won this round.
Iffland admitted that she was a little intimidated by conditions the day before the competition.
“Definitely it was the most challenging competition for me yet but yesterday I was having my doubts, I really was, you know seeing the conditions and feeling how it actually was up there.,” she said.
She responded to her worries like any champion would.
“I came here this morning with a different attitude, to just get the job done and do the dives good. I think that really helps to go out with that positive attitude, so I’m stoked, no words,” she said.
