In a world first, Red Bull Cliff Diving legend Orlando Duque has completed a spectacular 24-metre dive from the Dursey Island Cable Car in West Cork – a daring feat of courage and precision at one of Ireland’s most dramatic coastal settings.
Suspended between the mainland and Dursey Island, the cable car is the only one in Europe which crosses open sea water. First opened in 1969, the cable car has served as a precious vessel for residents of the island over the years, and as a symbol of West Cork’s rugged character.
Perched on the Beara Peninsula, Dursey Island marks the western tip of Cork and offers one of Ireland’s most remote and breathtaking landscapes. The cable car, which crosses over 150 metres of open water, has long captured the imagination of locals and travellers alike.
For Duque, it proved the perfect stage for something never before attempted. “The cable car itself is so unique. To have the opportunity to dive from it was something special,” Duque said.
In completing the jump, the Colombian diver, a winner of 9 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series events and pioneer of modern cliff diving, completed a world-first cable car dive. According to Duque, it’s unlike anything he has ever faced before.
“I’ve jumped off a lot of things during my career, but a cable car is definitely a first for me,” said Duque. “Dursey Island, and the whole area around, is very, very unique. It is such a beautiful area, but with the wind here, the currents, the changing tide.. there were so many challenges.”
Unlike traditional cliff dives, Duque’s challenge lay in the movement of the cable car itself. With no fixed platform and a constant swing amid strong and shifting winds, maintaining balance and generating the right take-off became part of the test.
“I’ve dived before in Ireland and there are some amazing cliffs in this country, but this was something else. The biggest difference is that you don’t have a stable base to take off from.” Duque explained.
“As soon as you push, you don’t have that solid feeling where you can control the dive. So, as soon as you leave the cable car, you need to start solving problems, like building up speed. That was the main challenge.”
In preparation, Duque trained at the state-of-the-art Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Centre in Florida, fine-tuning his form to adapt to the unusual dynamics of this jump. The 24-metre dive demanded absolute precision, with minimal margin for error as Duque leapt from the swaying frame into the cold Atlantic water – a reminder of both the beauty and the danger that define the sport.
This latest project continues Red Bull Cliff Diving’s long association with the Irish coastline, with Inis Mór, Downpatrick Head, Dún Laoghaire, and the North Coast all hosting the World Series in recent years. At each stop, Ireland’s unique geography has posed challenges to every diver on tour, but nothing quite like this.
Tim O’Herlihy, Senior Engineer with Cork County Council, who supported Red Bull on the dive, added some local context: “The sea here can change very, very quickly. One day, it’s nice and calm – and the next, there are two-metre swells. It’s a very, very tough environment.”
For Cliff Diving fans and those keen to relive the moment and follow the story, head over to @redbullire on Instagram and TikTok for updates, behind-the-scenes footage and more.
Image Credit: Red Bull Content and Inpho.ie
Further Reading for Sport for Business members:
Read our Sport for Business Coverage of Adventure Sport
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