Cliff Diving
Pushing boundaries: How Rhiannan Iffland became a cliff diving icon
The Australian diver is a true pioneer in her sport, inspiring others with every dive, but how does she manage fear on a daily basis?
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In women's cliff diving, there's one name synonymous with success: Rhiannan Iffland. In a few short years the Australian has achieved legendary status in the high diving world, ever since making her Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series debut in 2016, when she arrived at the Texas stop as a rookie and ended the event standing on the top step of the podium.
Iffland is so much more than a decorated athlete - she's a pioneer in her sport and an active ambassador, inspiring others with her skills, passion and dedication. Having celebrated her historic seventh World Series title at the close of the 2023 season, Iffland is riding the peak of her career, seemingly unstoppable and rarely wavering out on the platform, in the air or on entry into the water.
Iffland celebrates another perfect diving performance in Mostar
© Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull Content Pool
Building foundations for success
Despite her fast-tracked rise to history-maker, record-maker and general legend, Iffland didn't simply blast her way from obscurity to the top of the sport. Her unparalleled success has been built on the foundations of decades of gruelling training and building her self-confidence.
Iffland's elite trampolining career began at nine years old and she later transitioned into Olympic diving, both of which she believes have given her the perfect combination of skills needed for a flawless cliff diving technique. Even her favourite hobby, surfing, has contributed to her success, giving her an intuition to read the water and conditions in coastal competition locations
You’d think that with 35 wins in 43 starts, Iffland feels no fear when she steps out onto the diving platform. But you'd be wrong. Even as a self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie, for the Aussie each dive is a conquest of fear and a masterclass in overcoming the mental challenges of diving from 21m at speeds up to 77kph.
The leap from the diving platform never gets any less nerve-wracking
© Romina Amato/Red Bull Content Pool
My greatest challenge is jumping off that platform, every single time
"My greatest challenge is jumping off that platform, every single time," Iffland explains. "We take a really long break in the off-season, only training from 10m. The greatest challenge is relearning everything at the beginning of the season."
More on the Red Bull Cliff Diving world Series
When the fear is real
During her cliff diving career so far, Iffland has racked up an impressive number of adrenaline-inducing dives. She's soared from bridges, balconies and skyscrapers in competition, as well as adventuring around the globe to seek out the best cliff diving spots, even leaping from the mast of a historic vessel.
She describes her dive from a hot air balloon as her most surprising and challenging project to date. If there's a limit, the chances are Rhiannan Iffland will be testing it.
13 min
Balloon dive with Rhiannan Iffland
Rhiannan Iffland came up with the idea to be the first person to ever high dive from a hot air balloon.
But there's one particular dive that stands out in the Newcastle native’s mind. 120m under the ground in Romania lies the Salina Turda, one of the world’s oldest salt mines. Along with fellow diver and new King Kahekili trophy winner Constantin Popovici, Iffland had to dig deep and push her own boundaries - and the limits of high diving - when she leapt into the dark, cold waters of the salt mine in the first dive of its kind.
"The water was 17 percent more dense than seawater. We didn’t know what to expect, so it was probably one of the craziest dives I've ever done,” Iffland admits. “After finishing that project and doing that dive, I thought, 'I've never been so scared in my life!’."
5 min
Cliff divers make a splash in underground Romanian salt mine
Rhiannan Iffland and Constantin Popovici complete world's first dive into the centuries-old Salina Turda mine.
Connecting body and mind
"The higher you get and the more nervous you get, the harder it is. You’re simply trying to control what’s going on in your mind to make sure it all goes well. You have more adrenaline and there's a lot more danger up there," Iffland freely admits.
So how does she continue to perform with such skill and confidence from 21m, despite the fear?
To audiences, in competition Iffland is the picture of cool, calm and collected. Her confidence and self-belief are a fusion of all the dedicated hours of training into her physical skill to perform the jaw-dropping aerial-manoeuvres and the discipline of achieving mental clarity and focus to achieve peak performance.
Mindset is absolutely vital in cliff diving and Iffland has mastered hers
© Romina Amato/Red Bull Content Pool
It’s simply a connection between body and mind that she’s learned to master, surprisingly, after a career low point.
During the 2015 World Aquatics World Cup event in Abu Dhabi, Iffland had a less-than-impressive performance, resulting in being bailed-out by the scuba divers. In fact, she was almost ready to throw in the towel on high diving. But an invitation from the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series offered another chance to "give it another crack."
She recalls feeling super nervous and emotional in the car on the way to the Texas event, but a few simple words of wisdom from her dad were pivotal, shaping the way she approaches life today. Seeing her emotions running high and listening to her fears about a repeat of her World Cup disappointment, Iffland’s Dad remarked: "Well, you can’t do any worse than last time… just show them what Aussies are made of and enjoy the moment."
Finding the 'on' switch
Iffland says from that moment onwards, she began to master her emotions and the mindset needed to achieve full focus out on the diving platform - finding her 'on' and 'off' switches. So, what goes through the mind of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series champion on competition day?
Firstly, she prepares her body, "doing the repetitions and feeling as comfortable as possible, building up the courage to step up there and give it a shot."
Next, comes the mindset - calming breathing, and visualisation are key before defying gravity.
"When competing, there’s a lot of visualisation - going through the dive in your mind and preparing the mind and body for what it’s about to do," Iffland explains. "It's always music blasting in my ears. I'm singing at the top of my lungs and really trying to get out a lot of emotions through that music and singing. When I step up on the platform, I do a lot of breathing. I find myself closing my eyes imagining my niece running down the beach in her tutu, taking me to my happy place."
Whether from a platform, bridge or cliff edge, the process is the same
© Romina Amato/Red Bull Content Pool
Get to know Rhiannan Iffland better
Lastly, she's learned to lean on all the people who've supported her to this point - her trainers, family, friends and community.
The fear is always there, but Iffland has nailed wrapping a mental iron grip around it, allowing her to execute incredible aerial moves with pinpoint precision and showcase her sport at its pinnacle.
So, every time you see Rhiannan Iffland take a leap into the unknown, remember that she’s not just defying gravity – she’s also overcoming her fears and inspiring others to do the same.
So what's left for Rhiannan Iffland?
The 32 year old is happy to keep testing those boundaries, and facing the fear: "I'll keep pushing myself as an athlete and as a diver as far as I can when it comes to competition. And to keep travelling the world, and seek out new amazing diving locations."
See Rhiannan Iffland return to defend her King Kahekili trophy title when the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series kicks off for 2024 in Athens on May 24-26.
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