Cliff Diving
Plunge into how Red Bull Cliff Diving's format and scoring work
How are Red Bull Cliff Diving athletes judged as they launch from staggering heights and execute unbelievable dives on the way down? We explore the scoring system and format.
Ever wondered what it takes to jump from a dizzying height and clinch a perfect score? Dive deep into the world of Red Bull Cliff Diving as we unveil the competition format, explore the judging system and discover what separates the top cliff divers from the rest.
01
Competition format
Ahead of each competition, a draw determines the diving order for the first round. Divers hand in their four planned dives the day before the first day of competition.
Each tour stop features up to four wildcards; their results count the same as for any of the permanent divers.
A diver must perform at least one dive in competition to be included in the final results.
The competition format can change due to local dive condition difficulties.
MEN | WOMEN
Eight permanent athletes and four wildcards
Day 1
Round
Dives
Max Men DD | Max Women DD
1
1 Required Dive
2.8 | 2.6
Day 2
Round
Dives
Max Men DD | Max Women DD
Notes
2
1 Intermediate Dive
3.6 | 3.4
Reverse starting order after each based on the previous round's cumulative score
3
1 Optional Dive
No capped Degree of Difficulty
Reverse starting order based on the previous round’s cumulative score.
Day 3
Round
Dive
Maximum DD
Notes
Final
1 Optional dive
No capped Degree of Difficulty
Reverse starting order based on the previous round’s cumulative score.
Optional Dive Rounds: No capped Degree of Difficulty (DD). Every element of the dive counts as per DD table in the rule book.
The winner of any individual stop is the diver with the highest points total from the competition after four dives.
Formats for off-the-cliff competitions differ slightly, with Round 1 (Required Dive) and Round 2 (one Intermediate Dive) performed off the cliff, with the remaining two Optional Dives performed from the platform.
02
Points per competition
Points are awarded from first to last place, including wildcards.
The points from each competition are tallied to produce the World Series ranking and all individual competition results count towards the World Series overall ranking.
Position
Points
1st
20
2nd
16
3rd
13
4th
10
5th
8
6th
7
7th
6
8th
5
9th
4
10th
3
11th
2
12th
1
Watch the video below to find out how to score the perfect 10:
1 min
This is how you score perfect 10s
This is how you score perfect 10s
03
Degree of Difficulty
The degree of difficulty of each dive – also known as DD – is calculated based on the difficulty of the execution of each manoeuvre and the junction of each dive component.
- Type of take-off
- Number of somersaults
- Number of twists
- Position during the somersaults
- Type of entry
Technically, the more twists and spins that are added to the dive, the greater the DD.
The DD table was adjusted for the 2024 World Series to reflect the developments in the sport and the diving complexities of the latest generation of cliff divers.
6 min
Degree of difficulty
A difficult dive can bring in the most points for cliff divers at competitions.
Required dives – the maximum DD for a required dive is 2.8 for men and 2.6 for women, no matter which dive the athletes show – even if the calculated DD is higher.
Intermediate dives – the maximum DD for an intermediate dive is 3.6 (men) and 3.4 (women), no matter which dive the athletes show – even if the calculated DD is higher.
Optional dives – no maximum DD, all elements count.
Many athletes will build their biggest dives around twists and somersaults, or a combination of both. Find out more about this component of diving here:
7 min
Somersaults and twists
Somersaults and twists are foundational to cliff diving and the combination of both are how the pros do it.
According to the official Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series rule book, the jury has to judge what is seen and not what wants to be seen. Moreover, each dive has to be judged disregarding any bias toward the diver or dive to ensure an objective result.
04
Judges
Five international judges assess the overall impression of a dive, considering the technique and grace of each:
- Take-off
- Position in the air
- Entry in the water
One head judge and four judges will be selected for each competition from a pool of 12 members. Judges for each stop will be chosen based on performance, geographical location of the event and availability.
- José Antonio Martínez Ochoa (MEX): Former diver and high diver, head judge.
- Anke Piper (GER): Three-time European champion 10m, head judge.
- Olivier Morneau-Ricard (CAN): FINA judge, former Canadian diving team member, head judge.
- Cyrille Oumedjkane (FRA): FINA judge, World Series diver 2009–2016.
- Egill Ormasson (DEN): High diver 1995–2009.
- Jeff Arbon (AUS): Participant, Olympic Games Seoul 1988.
- Julian Llinas (ESP): FINA judge, judge at three Olympic Games.
- Marion Reiff (AUT): Participant, Olympic Games Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004.
- Ginger Huber (USA): 25-time competitor in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2014–2019.
- Simon Latimer (NZL): Former New Zealand Diving Team Member, three-time Olympic judge.
- Valerio Polazzo (ITA): New judge since 2023.
- Steve Foley (AUS): Triple Olympian (1976, 1980, 1984).
Judges wait, score cards in hand, for the final dives in New Zealand, 2024
© Dean Treml/Red Bull Content Pool
05
Scores
Calculation of total score of each competition:
- Five scores by five judges.
- Scores based on a scale of 0 to 10 in half-point increments.
- Judges score the dives without assistance.
- Highest and lowest score are discarded.
- Remaining three scores are added together.
- This sum is multiplied by the degree of difficulty for each dive.
- Scores from all four rounds are cumulated for the final competition result.
- Balks will constitute a deduction from each judge’s score as directed by the Head Judge.
- Points will be awarded from first to 14th place.