Next month sees the the international Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series return to Ireland for the third time. Inis Mór will host again as the setting, as it did previously in 2012 and 2014. The series will host international divers from around the globe, as they prepare to dive in Poll na Péist - the Serpent’s Lair, a rectangular carved pool on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. This is also the first time that the women’s event will be taking place in Ireland.
The women’s series began in 2014, Anna Bader took second place that year. Yesterday, she returned to Ireland, with Orlando Duque, and dived off the Northbank Lighthouse in Dublin Bay to celebrate the return of the series to Ireland. This was her first time diving into Irish shores.
‘It was so rough, I loved it! The sea was so harsh and salty. The wind was really strong today going off the lighthouse. It’s very specific here. People are so nice and open, and have a really strong sense of humour. The setting is kind of the same, you never know what kind of weather you’re going to get. That’s why I’m so excited that the female competition will also be in Inis Mór, we have never experienced anything like that.’
Amazingly, the German diver recently gave birth to her baby girl, and in a month’s time she will propel herself off a 70ft platform into the Atlantic. She does manage to find a balance however between motherhood and diving.
‘The two kind of go together. My boyfriend is a diver, so that makes things easier, he understands. It’s a different challenge of course, and now like every mother I guess, you don’t get much sleep anymore. We share all responsibility, for now we have just been taking her to the pool all the time. Everything is a little bit upside down, but she is enjoying the water.’’
The 34 year old, originally started learning gymnastics as a child in her native Germany. For her, both sports were very similar. ‘They are so intense, they require skill and strength but I went to diving, and gradually I improved my ability.’
Bader made her mark on the cliff diving scene, when she won the very first Red Bull Cliff Diving women’s competition in 2013, and this followed by a strong performance at the World Series’ 2014, taking second place. This year she returns to compete, and the fear and adrenaline never goes away.
‘It’s always scary, the fear never goes, even if you haven’t done it for a couple months. I had a break during my pregnancy, and every time I dive again, it’s exciting, it never leaves, because it is what I love.’
Next month, she makes her first competitive debut in Ireland, something she is very excited for.
‘I can’t wait. So many places that I dive in are hot and the water is warm, it’s a very different to the climate here. So this is the ultimate challenge.’
Tickets to the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Inis Mór are completely sold out. It was announced yesterday that the event will be broadcast live to a global audience. To see all the live action from Inis Mór, tune into Red Bull TV on the 24th of June.
