It was a day with seriously high stakes as the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series — one of the biggest events in extreme sports — arrived in Northern Ireland.
The two-day spectacle, which visits some of the world’s top cities, rocked up in Ballycastle yesterday.
Visitors packed into the town to take in the high-octane action.
From early afternoon, there was a Lammas Fair vibe as thousands streamed down Ann Street towards the marina to watch the dives.
Eleanor Smart of the USA diving from the 20.5 metre cliff during the first competition day. Pic: Red Bull Content Pool/Romina Amato
Billed officially as the Causeway coast leg of their World Series, the event is the third instalment of the competition, which concludes on November 10 in Sydney.
Crowds watched as 12 male and 12 female divers took off from the 27-metre purpose-built platform in the harbour. Divers can reach speeds of around 52mph before they hit the water.
Amid warm conditions, queues formed early at the food stalls that were spread out along the quay.
Spectators set up deck chairs and picnic blankets on the beach, where a huge screen had been erected for the event.
Children paddled in the shallow water where the Glenshesk River meets the sea.
Many gathered across the river, making themselves comfortable among the dunes that overlook the strand, the platform in clear view.
A diver heading for the water to the backdrop of Ballycastle’s famous cliffs. Pic: Kevin Scott/Belfast Telegraph
Earlier events had seen divers fling themselves off the rugged cliffs of the north coast, but the athletes would take to the platform for the final stages.
Visitors moved around the harbour, some stopping to take selfies with the recently constructed Hollywood-styled “Ballycastle” sign.
Teenagers milled around the crowd. One discussion centred on whether they could make the jumps that the trained athletes were preparing to complete.
They were sizing up the platform across the harbour. Constructed for the event, it had boards of different heights.
A small stand had been set up on the opposite side of the water. Back among the stalls were three generations of the Neeson family.
“We’ve been down since Wednesday night; we came down early to get a good spot to park the camper on,” said Christina.
“The build-up has gone on for months, it’s been quite big on Facebook. We’ve never seen anything like this; they’re mad.
“We’re not long down but the place has been buzzing since 10am. The weather helps with that. Hopefully we’ll stay another night, we’ll see what happens. I just can’t wait to see them.”
Sister Danielle added: “It’s something that will probably never come back again; it’ll be a once-in-a-lifetime thing.
“We might as well enjoy it while they’re here.”
People continued to hang around, waiting for the main dives to start at 5.30pm.
Harriet Dallas, Leeann Dallas and Roger Dallas from Portrush enjoying the day
Bars along the seafront, and the Marine Hotel, were doing a roaring trade.
Outside the hotel were the Dallas family, who had taken the bus for the view.
“We used Translink to come today rather than come in the car; we were very environmentally friendly,” said Roger Dallas.
“Usually when you’re driving around the Coast Road, you can’t see anything. So we came on the bus and it was great, we saw sights we had never seen before.”
Daughter Harriet told us she couldn’t stay for the second day because she was bound for sunnier climes.
“I know they do all sorts of different events, but I didn’t know they did diving. I’m not coming tomorrow as I’m for the airport,” she said.
“I’m heading away to Portugal. It’s a tight choice between Portugal and Ballycastle, but Portugal just about takes it!”
On the beach, Stephen and Nichola McClenaghan — and pup Lottie — from Cookstown, said they had come from Portrush to see the dives.
“We’re actually staying down in the Port, we have a caravan down there and decided to take a run down.
“We just know they’re not wise,” said Stephen.
“We saw it the other day when we were driving from Portstewart into Portrush, we saw it advertised along the road. So we said if it was a good enough day we’d stay about,” added Nichola.
Angela Neeson, Aodhan Neeson, Danielle Neeson and Christina Neeson
The unmistakable Red Bull branding that has been hard to miss along the north coast in recent weeks did its job.
A wide shot on the big screen showed the crowds stretching all the way from the western side of the harbour right to the strand on the far side close to the golf club.
The screen helped close off some of the distance to the diving platform, drawing the attention of some in the crowd who were less familiar with the event.
There was slight bemusement as the audience watched divers in the distance, leaping off the board and plunging into the sea as a ripple of applause and cheering broke out.
Nichola and Stephen McClenaghan with pup Lottie on the beach
And then, at around 5.30pm, the serious competition burst into life. The music ramping up as the first competitor — Paula Gilabert from Spain — took her place on the precipice.
A buzzer demanded a moment’s silence, before Gilabert took to the sky, piercing the water within seconds and landing a score of 68 points. Cue dutiful cheers from the shore.
The event, which is being shown live on TG4 and Red Bull TV, continues on Saturday, where greater crowds are expected to flock to the north coast to take in the talent and courage of the competitors first-hand.