Rhiannan Iffland: The Unstoppable Force of Women’s Cliff Diving

In women’s cliff diving, one name stands synonymous with success: Rhiannan Iffland. The Australian diver has achieved legendary status in the high diving world since her Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series debut in 2016, when she arrived as a rookie in Texas and finished on the top step of the podium.

Iffland is more than just 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 on the platform, in the air, or upon entry into the water.

Rhiannan Iffland reacts after her dive from the 21-meter platform at the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina on September 8, 2023. © Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull Content Pool

Building Foundations for Success

Despite her meteoric rise, Iffland’s success didn’t happen overnight. Her unparalleled achievements are built on decades of grueling training and developing self-confidence. Iffland began her elite trampolining career at nine years old and later transitioned into Olympic diving. She believes these disciplines have given her the perfect combination of skills needed for flawless cliff diving technique. Even her favorite hobby, surfing, has contributed to her success, giving her an intuition to read the water and conditions in coastal competition locations.

With 35 wins in 43 starts, Iffland seems fearless. But even as a self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie, each dive is a conquest of fear and a masterclass in overcoming mental challenges. Diving from 21 meters at speeds up to 77 kph never gets any less nerve-wracking.

“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.”

When Fear is Real

During her cliff diving career, Iffland has completed adrenaline-inducing dives from bridges, balconies, skyscrapers, and even the mast of a historic vessel. One of her most surprising and challenging projects was diving from a hot air balloon. Another standout dive was from 120 meters underground in Romania’s Salina Turda, one of the world’s oldest salt mines. The water was 17 percent denser than seawater, adding to the dive’s complexity.

“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!’”

Rhiannan Iffland dives during the final competition day of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Polignano a Mare, Italy on July 2, 2023. © Romina Amato/Red Bull Content Pool

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 admits.

Her confidence and self-belief are a fusion of countless dedicated hours of training and the discipline of achieving mental clarity and focus. Despite a low point at the 2015 World Aquatics World Cup in Abu Dhabi, where she had a poor performance, an invitation to the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series offered her a second chance.

Iffland recalls feeling super nervous and emotional before the Texas event, but her father’s advice helped shape her approach. “Well, you can’t do any worse than last time… just show them what Aussies are made of and enjoy the moment,” he told her.

Finding the ‘On’ Switch

From that moment on, Iffland began mastering her emotions and mindset, finding her ‘on’ and ‘off’ switches. On competition day, she prepares her body with repetitions and builds up the courage to step up and give it her best shot. Calming breathing exercises and visualisation are key to her process.

“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.”

Rhiannan Iffland prepares to dive at the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina on September 7, 2023. © Romina Amato/Red Bull Content Pool

The Future of Rhiannan Iffland

At 32, Iffland is happy to keep testing boundaries and facing 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 traveling the world, and seek out new amazing diving locations.”

Watch 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.