The 2025 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series burst into life with a spectacular season opener in El Nido, Philippines, a location so stunning it feels like stepping into a dream.
Round 1 kicked off in the remote setting of Lagen Island, where the divers were surrounded by towering limestone cliffs and crystal-clear waters. This paradise setting brought the sport closer to its purest form, offering a raw, elemental stage for the world’s elite.
For all divers on the El Nido roster, Round 1 was truly uncharted territory. Day 1 saw athletes leaping from a brand-new dive site – a rugged island outcrop that had never before featured in the competition’s history.
With no platforms or built-in take-offs, this was an “off-the-cliff” round in the truest sense.
Divers had to climb and traverse rocky terrain to reach their launch spots before committing to an adrenaline-spiked, daring flight into the unknown.
What went down on Day 1 in El Nido?
With a shortened season on the cards — just 16 dives between now and the final — every single maneuver matters. The race for the coveted King Kahekili Trophy is more intense than ever, with less room for error and even fewer chances to climb the leaderboard.
The opening round of the 2025 season unfolded in one of the most picturesque locations in Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series history. It’s been six years since the competition last touched down in this tropical paradise in 2019, making El Nido a brand-new experience for most of the athletes in this year’s line-up.
@onesportsphl 27 METERS OF PURE GASP 😱 Nanguna si Kaylea Arnett mula USA at Constantin Popovici ng Romania sa unang round ng isang cliff diving world series competition sa Palawan! Magsisimula naman ngayong Sabado ang ikalawang round ng kompetisyon sa Small Lagoon ng El Nido. | via LJ Abadinas/One Sports #OneSports
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Women's competition: USA's Kaylea Arnett out to prove she belongs
First to emerge as a strong contender in the women’s competition was the USA’s Kaylea Arnett – a 2024 rookie who earned her spot in the permanent line-up this year thanks to a 5th-place overall finish last season.
“I’m very satisfied with my dive. I woke up this morning super anxious and super nervous, but I know that just means that I care. When I turned up to this location, I just started crying because of how beautiful it is — and I didn’t feel nervous at all after that,” Arnett shared after her dive.
“Climbing up that mountain is something else I’ve never done before – it was absolutely incredible,” she added.
“Luckily, I’m not scared of heights at all, so it was just super fun for me. I got up there on that platform and it was almost this moment of purgatory that I felt; just peace. And in that moment I just went, and it felt like flying. I didn’t even think about it. It was amazing,” the American said.
Arnett earned 90.10 points from the judges – two 9.0s and one 8.5 – with her Intermediate dive off Lagen Island.
Former 2019 El Nido winner, Australia’s Rhiannan Iffland, followed closely in second place with 88.40 points. The 33-year-old chose the same dive as Arnett, with her typically graceful and composed execution earning two 8.5s and a 9.0.
Third place on Day 1 went to rising Ukrainian star Nelli Chukanivska, who previously finished on the podium at the 2024 season finale. At just 18, and in only her fifth World Series start, the tall and powerful Ukrainian is proving that experience isn’t everything when it comes to climbing the ranks.
Canada’s Molly Carlson – the only diver to have beaten Iffland to a top podium spot in the past three seasons – returned to action after missing last year’s Sydney finale due to a knee injury. She finished Day 1 in fifth, just behind Dutch diver Ginni Van Katwijk, having finally tamed and tempered the adrenaline that led to her “over-hyped, too-fast” warm-up dives.
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Men's competition: Romania's Constantin Popovici makes a dominant start
The men’s competition kicked off with a commanding performance from Romania’s Constantin Popovici. The 2023 King Kahekili champion, who also placed second in El Nido in 2019, closed Day 1 at the top of the leaderboard. Popovici earned three 9.0 scores for his 3.4 DD Intermediate dive – a Forward 3 Somersaults ½ Twist in Pike – collecting 94.50 points so far.
“It was a good start. I’ve been working hard on my barani [entry maneouvre] technique, and I hope to keep it up,” Popovici said. “When I was here last, six years ago, I was so focused on training and competition. I don’t know when I’ll get the chance to come back again and dive from the cliffs, so this time I took my time to enjoy it.”
The USA’s James Lichtenstein and Spain’s Carlos Gimeno finished second and third respectively, performing the same dive as Popovici. Lichtenstein scored 89.25 points with three 8.5s, while Gimeno followed with 84.00 points from three 8.0s.
Lichtenstein, who notched five podium finishes last season, including a win, will be laser-focused on closing the gap to Popovici in the upcoming rounds. Meanwhile, Gimeno’s drive and momentum appear to be supercharged by the stunning surroundings.
There was, however, a moment of drama when Italy’s Andrea Barnaba – a new permanent addition this year – entered the water head-first, an uncharacteristic misstep in the high-stakes world of cliff diving. Travelling at speeds up to 85km/h in under three seconds, divers must enter feet-first to safely absorb the immense forces of up to 10G, allowing them to remain strong and streamlined on entry.
Thankfully uninjured, Barnaba explained that he misjudged the timing of his barani, feeling mid-air that the water was too far away. Making a split-second decision, the 20-year-old chose to continue into a head-first entry, prioritising safety over form.
As head-first entries are not permitted due to the risk of injury, Barnaba scored 0 points for his dive – a sobering but invaluable lesson early in the season.
The divers return for Round 2 on 12 April, launching from the cliffs of the stunning Small Lagoon in El Nido. With only four stops in this condensed season, the stakes are already sky-high, and in this paradise setting, the cliffs are even higher.
(With reports from LJ Abadinas/One Sports Digital)