The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series splashing back into Boston Saturday.
The contest is back at the harbor after nearly a decade, showcasing some of the world’s best divers leaping from unimaginable heights —on Saturday, that means the roof of Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art.
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The 12 men and women look like adrenaline junkies, but appearances can be deceiving.
“I can guarantee you when I get up there and look down and go, 'Why did I choose this job?” diver Ellie Smart joked.
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Smart is the only permanent diver from the U.S. in the event. She took her first practice jump in front of our camera.
“The feeling you get when you do a new dive or just your first day in forever, it’s so incredible when you hit that water and you overcome something you really didn’t think you could do. It's so fulfilling," she said.
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You can see it on her face as she exits the chilly water. The Missouri native is looking forward to competing in Boston, the only stateside event of this tour.
"My mom, my dad are here, my whole family is coming in, and that’s just an experience I’ve never had before and I’m beyond grateful to have it," Smart said.
The divers get three chances to leap off platforms between 70 and 90 feet high — more than double what you see in the Olympics — twisting and turning at speeds around 50 mph as they hit the water in seconds in a competition to showcase talent and bravery.
"You don't have to know anything about diving at all to enjoy this event," Smart said. "It's just people flipping off of really high stuff and it's really cool."
This is the first-time women will compete in Boston, and Smart is attempting the hardest dive in Red Bull cliff diving history.
Tickets for the viewing area are sold out, but you may be able to watch from other points along the harbor. Red Bull will also be streaming it live when the diving starts at 2 p.m.
