We’re all still reeling from today’s eclipse, and it was just as spectacular as we thought it would be. Which is pretty remarkable in itself. Few things really are as beautiful as you’re expecting when they’ve been ridiculously hyped. The total eclipse? It lived up to the promise.
But as gorgeous and life changing as the eclipse was for those of us who saw it in person, it was kind of a garbage experience compared to the experience of those who not only saw the eclipse in totality but dived from an incredible height while doing so. It’s a pretty extreme and thrilling way to spend Eclipse 2017, and the pictures of the event are breathtaking.
The cliff diving event, right as the sun disappeared, was held to promote the return of the Red Bull Cliff Diving Competition to North America. Photographer, Dustin Snipes, was on hand to capture the beautiful dive by athletes, Helena Merten (AUS), Orlando Duque (COL), David Colturi (USA), and Andy Jones (USA), and the pictures are amazing. Though they were not easy to get.
“I was so excited, I was literally shaking,” Snipes said. “I knew we had such a small window to nail the shots but we did it. The experience was everything I could ask for.”
The divers were also completely awed by the once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“It was one of the craziest things I’ve done in my entire life,” Orlando Duque said. “We knew it was going to be dark, but not that dark! Having one shot at this dive made it that much more exciting.”
You can check out the pictures of the dive below, and watch the main cliff diving competition on a live stream on redbullcliffdiving.com, Red Bull TV, and on Red Bull Cliff Diving’s Facebook page September 3rd beginning at 3pm CST.
