Standing at the edge of a platform affixed to the side of a 12th-century fortress in Corsica, David Colturi had every right to feel confident—smug, even.
The diver had finished qualifying for his first-ever Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. Inclusion on the tour meant that Colturi, a national 10-meter diving champ while in college, was one of the world elite in the nascent sport. On the literal precipice of his first-ever dive of the tour on the picturesque island off the French coast, Colturi looked out onto the Mediterranean, where hundreds of boats had gathered to watch the event.
From 27 meters, almost triple the height at which he competed at Purdue University, he leapt. In the span of three seconds, he hit upwards of 55 mph, completing a front double somersault with a twist and … hit the water at an angle, leading with his backside.
“It doesn’t matter how hard you squeeze, water is going right in there,” he recalls five years later. “And in this particular instance, my Speedo ripped off as well … and I went from cloud nine and super confident to covered in blood and poop and I’m like … what did I get myself into?”
Today, Colturi, 28, can laugh it off. After all, he escaped with only a few bruises, the biggest suffered by his pride.
But the episode is illustrative of the danger inherent in the still-elite sport. Cliff-diving heights are unparalleled in competitive diving, as are the trick combinations attempted by the athletes. And the risk is immense.
Orlando Duque of Colombia dives from the 27 metre platform during the seeding round of the third stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, Possum Kingdom Lake, Texas, USA on May 28th 2015. // Romina Amato/Red Bull Content Pool
“Any cliff diver gets painted as an adrenaline junkie,” says Colturi. “And I don’t think that’s necessarily true. It’s more about being able to put yourself in that uncomfortable position and go out and be able to do that thing that is so impossible or scary in your head. With exposure it gets easier each time.”
Still, bruised tailbones are a regular occurrence, as are concussions from the chin’s impact with the water if the dive is slightly offkilter. Only about four dozen athletes participate in the sport globally, and the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series features only the top 10 men and the top six women in the sport (who have been competing since 2014).
But that is changing. The digital revolution has offered up unparalleled opportunities for smaller sports to grab the spotlight and attract new fans and competitors. Cliff diving, with its majestic heights and its nail-biting speed and impact, is made for social channels and YouTube. The result is a sport at an exciting crossroads. Divers are greeted not by hundreds but thousands of people when they edge out onto the platform and gaze into waters littered with fan boats. The international body regulating aquatic sports, FINA, included high diving at heights of 27 meters (nearly 90 feet) into its schedule in 2013, and most think Olympic inclusion in 2024 is next.
“More sponsors joined in, more events are happening, so there’s a way to make a job out of the thing you love,” says Orlando Duque, who’s been a competitive cliff diver since 1999. “From a psychological perspective, it’s huge. No longer is it: ‘You’re going to the competition, but what happens if you get injured and you can’t do your day job and you struggle for a few months [financially]?’ We can be a little more safe, we can be a little bit more dedicated to the preparation, because we know we have a shot at something bigger.”
Of the divers competing, the 43-year old Colombian is the sport’s living legend. He won the inaugural Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in 2009, as well as FINA’s inaugural high-dive competition in 2013.
He’s also served as a tireless ambassador for the sport, traveling to remote locations in Croatia, Cuba and Victoria Falls for showreel-worthy dives that have spread the sport on social media and invited global media coverage. “He’s a role model for me,” says Colturi. “Seeing him approach this as a lifestyle and career that he commits his entire life to … and following through year after year. It’s an incredibly hard commitment to make. Not only do you compete as a professional sportsman, but you’re a business.”
In the years since he graduated from Purdue University, Colturi has been a server, a bartender, a lab technician, a substitute teacher, a coach and a data-entry specialist—all to keep his diving career afloat. The two summers he spent entertaining hordes of sunburnt vacationers as a show diver at Indiana Beach State Park were particularly memorable. But as his sport gets more professional, Colturi has begun looking at the long game.
Together with three other divers, Colturi founded USA Cliff Diving, a content platform he plans to grow into a full-fledged business that can partner with brands and create events.
“Interacting with fans across the world gives you the ability to prove yourself” to companies, he says. “We are a niche sport, but we are growing, and if you partner with us and give us capital, we can grow the sport from a grassroots movement.”
That’s not to say Colturi has built up his own sustainable support network yet. He’s still his own coach, his own trainer and his own year-round motivator. But the opportunities afforded by a series like Red Bull Cliff Diving and subsequent FINA events means that he’s able to dedicate more work to the most important part of it: readying himself for the risk. This includes practicing at dedicated high-diving facilities like Area 47 in Salzburg, Austria (where all Red Bull Cliff Divers train before the season starts), watching tape and trying various cognitive training techniques like sensory deprivation tanks and meditation.
“I’ve spent these last eight years figuring out what works. The biggest thing that’s transformed is the mental side of things,” he says. “Learning how to control thoughts, heart rate and emotions when it can be such a roller coaster. It’s a tough thing to mentally stay poised and go through a whole competition.”
The full interview is available in the September issue of The Red Bulletin (on newsstands August 15)
Press Release courtesy of The Red Bulletin, September issue.