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St. Pete hosting Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series
The world’s elite cliff divers are taking their talents to new heights and landing in St. Petersburg this June. FOX 13's Kailey Tracy reports.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The world’s elite cliff divers are taking their talents to new heights and landing in St. Petersburg this June.
It’s the first time the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series has ever been in Florida.
St. Pete serves as the second stop on a six-city global tour that includes international destinations such as Copenhagen and Bali. Notably, it is the only city in the United States selected for the 2026 competition circuit.
Courtesy: Red Bull
What they're saying:
"It's a world-class destination, whether you're looking for the amazing beaches that we have with the white sand, whether you are looking for dining, whether you looking for outdoor, whether it's sailing, whether it is kayaking, getting out on the water and fishing," Steve Grimes, chief marketing officer for Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, said. "I mean, there's just so much to do. But I also think our area's profile is really being raised of late. The rest of the world is finding out what St. Pete, Clearwater, what [it] is all about."
"This location in St. Pete is so cool," Orlando Duque, sports director at Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, said. "You have clear, clean access to a lot of people. You can watch from the pier. You can watch it from the park nearby, from the boat, and what we actually want to do is that we want to be really close to the people."
By the numbers:
They’ll dive near the Museum of History off the pier. Women will launch from approximately 70 feet, while men will dive from nearly 90 feet.
Courtesy: Red Bull
"The structure is going to be built on top of it, and then they're going to be diving from the top of the structure. That's the easiest way for us to reach the official competition height and still have all the technical elements that we need for the event," Duque said.
Duque, a former diving champion himself, noted that the water depth in the area near the pier is about 12 to 15 feet, right around what they need.
"These guys are doing the most difficult dives that we’ve had in history," Duque said.
Local perspective:
The event is expected to be a significant economic driver for the region. While Red Bull’s Flugtag event drew over 80,000 people to Tampa in 2024, Duque expects at least 50,000 spectators to gather along the St. Petersburg waterfront for this competition.
Courtesy: Red Bull
What's next:
The event is free to the public. Organizers say additional details and surprises regarding the festivities will be announced as the June 5 start date approaches.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from interviews with organizers of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series and Visit St. Pete-Clearwater.