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Red Bull Cliff Diving Series Returns to Abereiddy

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Kent De Mond - ActionUntouched 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

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Police appeal for information after several tractors stolen

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POLICE officers in Pembrokeshire investigating a theft from several tractors, which happened overnight between April 17-18, 2024.

The tractors had been in a field near to Loch Turfin, Haverfordwest.

Included in the stolen items were vehicle keys, tools and waterproof clothing.

A spokesperson said “Police are now appealing for anyone with information that could help them with their investigation to contact PC 772 Boyt either through a direct message on social media, online at: https://bit.ly/DPPContactOnline, by emailing [email protected] or by calling 101.

“Quote reference: 24*355571”

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Pembrokeshire firefighters help deliver fire engines to Ukraine

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FIRE services from across the United Kingdom have rallied together to donate vital firefighting equipment to Ukraine, amidst ongoing conflicts that have seen local fire stations and firefighters come under direct attack.

The Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) was at the forefront of this international goodwill effort, donating three fire appliances and dispatching nine of their personnel to ensure safe delivery.

The initiative, coordinated by Fire Aid UK, involved a total of 11 UK fire services. Over a grueling 5.5-day journey that spanned several countries—starting from Kent Fire and Rescue Service and moving through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and into Poland—33 fire appliances were transported to a location just 20 miles from the Ukraine border. They left Kent on April 23.

This convoy, laden with not just fire engines but also 3000 items of critical firefighting gear including cutting equipment, fire hoses, first aid kits, and generators, was a sight of resilience and humanitarian commitment. Watch Manager Rob MakePeace, a Business Fire Safety Officer, and Watch Manager Keith Jenkins, who is retired but still oversees part-time personnel at Haverfordwest, played pivotal roles in the operation from Pembrokeshire.

Speaking on the experience, Keith Jenkins expressed the profound impact of the mission, “It was a fantastic experience to be involved in. The convoy itself was an amazing sight, but the people we met, places we stayed and the reason we were delivering the appliances was something we will remember for a long time.”

The donation comes at a critical time for Ukraine, where daily attacks have not only jeopardized the lives of local firefighters but have also devastated much of the essential infrastructure needed to fight fires effectively. The additional appliances and equipment from the UK are expected to significantly bolster the capabilities of the Ukrainian fire departments, providing them with the necessary tools to save lives and protect property under dire circumstances.

This act of generosity and the strenuous efforts by the UK firefighters underscore a deep commitment to aiding those in peril, transcending borders and showcasing the best of international cooperation and humanitarian assistance.

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Protest outside Stephen Crabb’s office over Rwanda deportations

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SUPPORTERS of West Wales Stand Up to Racism group will attend a protest outside the office of Stephen Crabb MP in Market Street at 6pm on Tuesday evening (May 7).

The protest is to highlight the inhumane scheme to send refugees to Rwanda.

Since the Rwanda Bill was finally passed last week, refugees have already been identified, detained and are being prepared to be flown to Rwanda to have their asylum claims processed there.

Rushi Sunak has said “To detain people while we prepare to remove them, we’ve increased detention spaces to 2,200.

“To quickly process claims, we’ve got 200 trained, dedicated caseworkers ready and waiting. To deal with any legal cases quickly and decisively, the judiciary has made available 25 courtrooms and identified 150 judges who could provide over 5,000 sitting days.”

The protestors are asking: why is all this money being spent when these vulnerable people could have their asylum claims dealt with in the UK?

If the Prime Minister hoped his Rwanda plan would help get more votes for the Conservative Party in the recent elections, it would appear he was mistaken.

A new report from the Refugee Council warns that the UK Government’s flagship Illegal Migration Act and Rwanda Plan will lead to another catastrophic “system meltdown”, trapping over 100,000 people in permanent limbo while costing taxpayers billions.

West Wales Stand Up to Racism has campaigned against the Government’s plan to send refugees to Rwanda from the time this scheme was first suggested.

Supporters have previously met with Simon Hart MP and attempted to deliver a giant postcard to his office.

The group has taken part in the online Hands in Protest project organised by Artisan Avenue, Tenby which allowed everyone to express on line how they felt about Rwanda by submitting drawings of their own hands. The collective Hands In Protest gives a powerful message that the Rwanda plan should be stopped.

The organisers said: “Supporters will be once more taking the giant postcard on Tuesday, to protest about the Rwanda scheme. We will have small post cards for supporters to write messages to Stephen Crabb, telling him how strongly we feel about this.

“All over the UK, anti-racists are picketing Home Office buildings to show their opposition to the Rwanda scheme and are trying to prevent arrests and giving support to the refugees being arrested and detained.

“West Wales Stand Up to Racism supporters want to make their voices heard too.”

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