Pembrokeshire's World Cliff Diving Championships will be a UK First

Abereiddi's Blue Lagoon.  The perfect venue for the UK's first World Cliff Diving Championships
©National Trust Images/David Sellman

 EXTREME athletes from across the globe will test their nerve on the Welsh coast this year when the National Trust host the world cliff diving championships.

The dramatic Blue Lagoon at Abereiddi in Pembrokeshire is to be the first British site ever to stage one of the seven legs of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at the end of the summer.

 The National Trust owned cliffs will be the venue for the incredible televised competition which sees only the best and bravest divers in the world leap from a specially made platform 27 metres above the waves.

 “It is hard to understand just how extreme a sport this actually is. The cliff they dive off is the same height as an eight storey building,” said National Trust Ranger Nicky Middleton-Jones.

 “The divers hit the water at almost 90 kilometres an hour, and the impact on their bodies is such that even the slightest mistakes could be almost unimaginable.”

Abereiddi’s Blue Lagoon is the sixth stop of the series that sees 11 of the world’s best take on incredible cliff dives in France, Norway, Portugal, USA, Ireland and Oman.

 Nicky said: “The divers not only have to deal with fear and the elements, but they also have to impress the judges with perfectly executed twists and somersaults.

 “And, of course, they have to get the entry into the water absolutely right. Unlike normal diving where competitors hit the water head first, cliff divers have to enter the water feet first as the pressure of hitting the sea from such a height, at such speed, is too much for the head and shoulders to take.”

 British reigning World Champion Gary Hunt and former British Olympic Diver Blake Aldridge will lead the event on the 6, 7 and 8 September.

Nicky said: “The many dangers of cliff diving are obvious, and we remind everyone that these divers are experienced professionals taking part in a carefully managed event, with measured risks and a host of safety experts. The consequences of members of the public attempting something like this could be fatal.”

 1500 tickets for the event’s spectator area will be made available nearer the event.