News

Red Bull Cliff Diving Series Returns to Abereiddy

Published

13 years ago

September 13, 2013

Untouched rocks, monoliths, iconic landmarks and buildings. This purest extreme sports competition hits new waters in its fifth year and determines a new champion during eight challenging competitions across Europe, Asia and North and South America.
And on 13th and 14th of September, ten of the world’s top divers and four wildcard entrants will compete at Abereiddy’s famous Blue Lagoon as part of the Red Bull Cliff Diving Championship.

What is real cliff diving
In theory cliff diving is jumping from high cliffs into water.
Platforms are used in competition to allow the athletes to do the most difficult dives.
Diving directly from the rocks limits the diver to easier dives. In competitions artistic moves are performed during the dive and judged by a jury identifying the winner.
The discipline has a very long tradition and was “invented” in Maui, Hawaii, back in the 1770s. Within years cliff diving emerged from an initiation tactics for warriors as a competitive sport. However, in the past cliff divers were usually characterized as world-weary kamikazes and the sport was erroneously considered a mere tourist attraction from Acapulco. Cliff diving is far more than Acapulco or a pleasing background for lovely TV commercials; it is a sport, which places the highest demands on mind and body. Many high divers see their discipline as a further development of the Olympic diving competition, which most of them exercised before changing to cliff diving. Through continuous competitions around the globe wide acceptance for this extremely demanding discipline is being established and the athletes are receiving the respect they deserve.
In competitive cliff diving safety plays an important role. Thus, certain regulations have been defined, such as the height limit (28m) and the water depth (at least 5m), as well as emergency scuba divers and paramedic units on site.
Why did Red Bull create a Cliff Diving World Series?
In the past Red Bull used to organise cliff diving competitions always in direct collaboration with the divers. The divers’ feedback and the spectators’ enthusiasm lead to a natural development of single events to a world series with strong locations and the world’s best athletes, providing them with a platform to spread this pure extreme sport all over the world.
When did the World Series start?
The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series started in 2009 and after four seasons, the championship can look back at 28 successful competitions, more than 460.000 spectators and 1.650 international media on-site, including live broadcasts.
Since the introduction of the World Series the sport of cliff diving has pushed its limits to new heights and the athletes have increased the level of high diving to an extent, which was not even thought of a few years ago.
Why is Red Bull Cliff Diving a high-class sports competition?
The best cliff divers in the world participate in these competitions and the whole set up (at least 26.5 metres or higher and at least 6 stops per year) challenge the divers not only physically but also mentally. The impact of hitting the water after 27 metres of free fall is nine times harder than jumping from a 10m tower. If you are not perfectly trained and experienced you risk your life.
What is the Format of the Competition?
The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series follows the traditional high diving format and is a mix of the rules from FINA and HDA. Each competition has four rounds in 2 days. Divers hand in their four planned dives the day before the 1st day of competition – dives shall consist of two required dives of a maximum degree of difficulty (DD) of 3.8 and two optional dives assigned a degree of difficulty computed from the HDA (High Diving Alliance) table. These dives are judged by five high diving judges. The highest and lowest score are discarded; the remaining three scores are added and multiplied by the degree of difficulty to provide the total score for each dive.
Ahead of each competition a draw will determine the diving order for the first round. The first round of dives will feature one required dive of a fixed DD of 3.8, the results of which will determine the ranking for the head-to-head. 1st goes against 14th, 2nd against 13th, etc.
In the head-to-head rounds, all divers do one required dive (DD 3.8.) and one optional dive. 7 winners will advance from the head-to-head. There will also be one lucky loser (the diver with the highest score of all losers). The 8 remaining divers will do one final optional dive. The order will be determined by the points accumulated from the first 3 rounds of dives and will be in reverse order. The winner of any individual tour stop will be the diver with the highest points total from all 4 dives.
Winner of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series will be the athlete with the hig

Crime

Children most at risk in Dyfed-Powys TikTok-linked crime cases

Published

5 minutes ago

June 20, 2026

Tom Sinclair

FOI data reveals forty-two under-18 victims as police record more than 130 incidents mentioning the platform

CHILDREN were the largest group of victims in Dyfed-Powys crimes where TikTok was mentioned, new Freedom of Information figures have revealed.

Data obtained by JF Law shows that Dyfed-Powys Police recorded 131 TikTok-linked violence, stalking and harassment offences between 2023 and 2025.

Of those, forty-two victims were under the age of eighteen.

Pembrokeshire recorded 32 incidents over the three-year period, with eight in 2023, thirteen in 2024 and eleven in 2025.

Across the force area, Carmarthenshire recorded the highest number of incidents, with 51. Powys recorded 29 and Ceredigion recorded thirteen.

Stalking and harassment made up the vast majority of the Dyfed-Powys cases, accounting for 128 of the 131 offences. Three were recorded as violence with injury.

Wales-wide concern

The figures were obtained through Freedom of Information requests covering Welsh police forces.

South Wales Police recorded the highest number, with 2,034 crimes where TikTok or Tik Tok was mentioned in police records between 2023 and 2025.

Those figures rose from 488 in 2023 to 656 in 2024 and 890 in 2025.

Gwent Police recorded 373 incidents, while North Wales Police recorded 199.

The North Wales data included cases of harassment, malicious communications, blackmail, sexual grooming, sexual activity involving a child under sixteen, exposure and voyeurism, and threats to kill.

Police forces stressed that the figures do not mean TikTok caused the crimes. The data relates to cases where the platform was mentioned in the modus operandi field or investigation summary.

‘Digital hunting ground’

Ellie Lamey, a Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority specialist at JF Law, said: “The sheer volume of these cases is a stark warning to parents and authorities alike.

“We are seeing everyday platforms being weaponised by predators to target our youngest and most vulnerable, turning what should be a harmless online space into a digital hunting ground.

“The trauma inflicted by cyber-stalking, harassment, and online-facilitated abuse has profound, real-world consequences that can completely shatter a family’s sense of security.”

She added: “It is crucial that victims know there are concrete legal avenues available to fight back.

“Nobody should have to navigate this nightmare in silence, and we are committed to helping survivors secure the protection, justice, and support they need to move forward.”

JF Law provides legal support and advice to those affected by online harassment, abuse and related crimes. Their website is www.jflaw.co.uk.

Education

Free school meals to be expanded for secondary pupils in Wales

Published

56 minutes ago

June 20, 2026

Tom Sinclair

£15m investment will support Year 7 and 8 pupils in Universal Credit households from September

THE WELSH GOVERNMENT has confirmed an additional £15m investment to begin expanding free school meals for eligible secondary school pupils.

The funding will support plans to extend free school meal entitlement to secondary pupils whose households receive Universal Credit, removing the current household income threshold.

At present, secondary school pupils can only receive free school meals if their family receives Universal Credit and household earnings are below £7,400, excluding benefits.

From September, parents of pupils in Years 7 and 8 are expected to be able to apply under the new scheme, regardless of household income, provided the family receives Universal Credit.

The £15m package forms part of the Welsh Government’s supplementary budget for 2026-27.

It will include £10m in capital funding for school kitchens and dining areas, alongside £5m in revenue funding to help introduce the expanded scheme.

The move follows the previous roll-out of free school meals to all primary school children in Wales, which was delivered as part of the former co-operation agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru.

Cabinet Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Anna Brychan, said the funding marked “the first step” in extending free school meals to more secondary pupils.

She said: “This work is about removing barriers to learning and supporting wellbeing.

“We know that access to nutritious food improves concentration, attainment and overall health.

“Building on the success of universal primary free school meals, we will ensure that as children move into secondary education those who need it most will continue to receive the support they need to thrive.”

First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth said extending eligibility to more families on Universal Credit was part of wider efforts to tackle child poverty.

He said: “Starting this work is a key aspect of our 100 Day Plan and beyond — taking practical action by putting money back into families’ pockets and ensuring every young person has the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their background.”

Further details on the roll-out are expected to be announced in due course.

Community

Lord Rhys emerges from the mist in St Davids

Published

1 hour ago

June 20, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Giant puppet begins historic journey marking 850 years since the first Eisteddfod

MIST swirled around St Davids Cathedral on Friday evening as a giant Lord Rhys puppet emerged from the fog to begin a journey celebrating 850 years since the first recorded Eisteddfod.

Accompanied by traditional musicians and followed by crowds of spectators, the towering figure cut an imposing sight against the backdrop of the ancient cathedral.

The procession marked the start of Taith yr Arglwydd Rhys (The Journey of Lord Rhys), a cultural pilgrimage retracing the legacy of the Welsh prince whose gathering of poets and musicians at Cardigan Castle in 1176 is widely regarded as the first recorded Eisteddfod.

As fog drifted across the city and church towers faded into the background, the scene felt more like a chapter from Welsh folklore than a modern-day celebration.

The giant puppet, accompanied by fellow performers and musicians, travelled from St Davids Cathedral to Oriel y Parc before beginning a wider journey through west Wales.

The travelling celebration will visit communities across Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion before culminating in Cardigan, where Lord Rhys originally staged his famous cultural gathering eight and a half centuries ago.

Video and photographs shared by DrifterStDavids captured the remarkable atmosphere, with many describing the spectacle as one of the most memorable cultural events seen in St Davids for years.

Photo caption: Lord Rhys emerges from the mist outside St Davids Cathedral as celebrations begin to mark the 850th anniversary of the first recorded Eisteddfod

(Pic: SmallWorld – Video: Drifter St Davids)