Red Bull

Overview

Individual men and women athletes compete in an annual high-platform diving series. They aim to prevail by executing multi-rotation dives from 27 m for men and 21 m for women, reaching about 85 km/h at impact.

How to win

• Calculate dive score — Drop the high and low scores, sum the middle three, then multiply by degree of difficulty.
• Each judge scores 0-10 in half-point increments (typical range 5-9 at elite level)
• Drop extremes — Discard the highest and lowest scores, then sum the middle three.
• Multiply by dive's degree-of-difficulty (DD typically 3.0-6.0)
• Sum 4 dives = total competition score

The game

• Event field — Men typically have 14 permanent divers and 2 wildcards; women have 12 permanent divers and 2 wildcards.
• Men's field — Typically 14 permanent divers and 2 wildcard entries compete per event.
• Women's field — Typically 12 permanent divers and 2 wildcard entries compete per event.
• Officials — A head referee leads five judges, technical officials, safety divers, and boat marshals.
• Judges score 0-10 per dive; high + low scores dropped; middle 3 averaged then multiplied by degree-of-difficulty (DD)

Playing the ball

• Feet-first entry — Enter feet first with vertical body alignment and minimal splash; head-first entries are prohibited.
• Dive directions — Forward faces water and rotates forward; back faces away and rotates backward; reverse faces water and rotates backward.
• Four-dive round — Each athlete pre-submits four dives: two lower-DD, then two higher-DD, specifying take-off, somersault and twist combinations.
• Single round — Each athlete completes four dives.
• Two dives per round — Complete 2 lower-DD dives in Round 1 and 2 higher-DD dives in Round 2.

Fouls & penalties

• Failed dive — No entry, a full-speed head-first attempt, or platform balking scores zero; diving late also counts as failed. (+ variants)
• Failed dive — A failed dive scores 0 points (+ variants).
• Wrong dive — A dive different from the declared dive may score zero or a lower score at the judges’ discretion.
• Late platform — Fail the dive if it is not performed within 1 minute of the call.
• Unsportsmanlike conduct — Unsportsmanlike conduct or refusing to compete after entering results in disqualification.

Equipment

• Swimwear — Wear a form-fitting, approved textile suit; carry no goggles or accessories during the dive. (+ variants)
• Swimwear — Wear a form-fitting, World Aquatics-approved textile suit: briefs for men, one-piece for women.
• No dive accessories — Do not wear goggles or carry accessories during the dive.

🚨 Cardinal Rule— Serious violation — may trigger retaliation or social exclusion

• Never pressure a diver to commit who is hesitating on the platform
  — If a diver pauses, steps back, or signals they are not ready, no coach, official, or fellow competitor applies verbal pressure to hurry them. At heights where a poorly committed dive can cause serious injury, forcing someone through hesitation is considered dangerous and disrespectful.[1]

⚠️ Strong Expectation— Most experienced players will take notice and be upset

• Absolute silence during a diver's platform preparationProfessional play
  — When a diver steps onto the platform and begins their physical and mental preparation, all competitors, coaches, and on-site officials maintain complete silence. The noise of the crowd is accepted, but those inside the competition zone go quiet. Disturbing a diver's focus at 27m is considered a serious breach.(Applies at Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series and equivalent elite events.)[1][2]
• Don't debut an untrained dive in competitionProfessional play
  — Attempting a dive in competition that has not been thoroughly trained and landed in practice is considered reckless and disrespectful to the sport's safety culture. At 27m, an undertrained dive risks serious injury and reflects poorly on the diver's professionalism. Elite divers are expected to only compete with dives they genuinely own.(Particularly observed at Red Bull World Series level where the risk of an undertrained dive is extreme.)[1]
• Water read before diving an unfamiliar natural site
  — At natural cliff locations (as opposed to purpose-built platforms), it is expected that divers fully assess water conditions — depth, currents, submerged obstacles — before any practice dive. Skipping this step is seen as irresponsible both to oneself and to others who may follow assuming the site has been checked.(Most relevant during site scouting at new venues on the World Series tour.)[1]