How do you continue to push yourself when you’ve already conquered the world? Having won all there is to win in the world of cliff diving, including three Red Bull World Cliff Diving World Series, Rhiannan Iffland is now at a crossroads: was it worth all the sacrifices she made along the way? Was it worth being away from her family, friends, and missing out on big chunks of her youth?
On a quest to reinvigorate her sense of purpose, and to reconnect with her passion for diving, Rhiannan joined up with a childhood friend, Emily, for the adventure of a lifetime through the Australian Outback. Just two friends, a van, and the open road.
Welcome to Rhiannan Iffland's Rainbow Dive and watch the movie in the player below.
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The pair head deep inside Australia’s Northern Territory, a land steeped in history, adventure, culture, community and, of course, some of the most incredible diving locations Australia has to offer.
Will this journey, the surreal diving experiences it affords Rhiannan, and her connection with the traditional owners, the Jawoyn people, be enough to reinvigorate her to take on the world again? We spoke to her to find out more.
In your own words, what is the Rainbow Dive, what was this project for you?
Rhiannan Iffland: It was an awesome trip, experiencing a part of Australia that I would never have dreamed to experience in that way. We basically did a 10-day road trip searching for awesome locations to dive, and we definitely found some. We experienced the culture, and went on all sorts of adventures.
What was the goal of it?
I wanted to experience this part of Australia, and take my passion with me on my travels, and diving in a magical place somewhere like this, which was just incredible, super-unique and untouched. The goal was to find and conquer some awesome cliff jumps.
Did you discover anything about Australia that you didn't already know?
Yes, I realised why everybody says that all the animals are dangerous!
Why? What did you find out there?
Oh, everywhere we went there were creepy crawlies, crocodiles, snakes, and I mean, you hear negative stereotypes about the dry and empty outback, but you need to see it to believe it. I was just gobsmacked at how beautiful the country really is.
What was your favourite part of the trip?
That's a hard question. Meeting the traditional owners, the Jawoyn people, and getting their blessing for the dives was incredible. We learned a lot from them.
And then, of course, the diving days. The first time I went into Katherine Gorge, we watched the sun rise through the gorge and everything just lit up. That was incredible, and then I knew I was in for a treat from that moment. It made me really excited for what was to come.
How was diving like that, in Katherine Gorge, different to diving in competitions?
It's always challenging to dive in different locations, and I think it did give me a little bit more confidence, because I'd been diving in different locations where I had to climb and scope out myself, and I knew it was risky.
But also, going on a trip like that brought me back to, and reminded me why I love this sport, and it's the adventures that you go on while doing so. I think it brought me back to reality a little bit, and helped me to remember that it's not all about the competitions, it's about the passion.