Every summer, the village of Polignano a Mare on Southern Italy’s Adriatic coast hosts a cliff diving competition as part of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. The series, founded in 2009 by Red Bull, features high diving jumps. The competition season spans eight locations worldwide, attracting from 30,000 to 70,000 spectators annually.
Schedule of Competition
The Polignano a Mare finals will be screened as follows (all times are local) on Sunday, June 30th, 2024: the women's Finals at 17:35 and the Men's Finals at 18:20. Divers launch from a platform height of 27 m (88.6 ft) for male competitors and 21 m (69 ft) for female participants. A panel of judges evaluates each diver based on their technique, acrobatics, and artistic moves during the dive. At each season's conclusion, champions are crowned in both the women's and men's categories and receive the prestigious King Kahekili trophy along with a winner's prize fund.
Viewing Locations
The event is free to attend, offering open access and free seating within the event area. The optimal viewing experience for visitors is from the bridge. Additionally, "Lama Monachile" beach is another excellent location to enjoy the competition. Alternatively, spectators can watch from the cliff in front of the diving platform. This location is also free but has limited seating availability.
Puglia: Places to Visit
The Red Bull Cliff Diving Series is an excellent chance to explore Puglia's beautiful coast, which covers over 750 km. The best way to get to the jump spot is by hopping on a plane or a boat to Bari, the biggest city in Puglia. If you stay there for a few days, you can explore the Swabian castle, several museums, churches, and monuments. The Puglia region also offers lots of hiking trails, horse riding, cycling routes, golf greens, beaches equipped for windsurfing, sailing and kite surfing, and diving centers along the coast.
