Havana’s Morro Castle has its usual calm. Out of the sudden it has become an anthill, full of men with cameras, cell phones, headsets, which communicate in a multitude of languages , where Spanish is simply absent.
It’s kind of invasion of a uniformed body with different designs, but marked by the unmistakable red bulls of the Red Bull brand. They move from side to side, barely breathing, taking photographs, filming every detail, even in the most hazardous conditions, which must be present in one of the three most dangerous global sporting events: the Cliff Diving World Series.
This is an exquisite adventure, in which divers perform acrobatic jumps into the water from a height of 27 meters, a good reason not to miss a single minute. As such, this Thursday nearly fifty accredited media appeared at the Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro to observe, firsthand, the test flights of the 14 specialists who will begin their competition on Saturday.
In the session we appreciatd jumps without much fanfare, some unorthodox, some of excellent workmanship, such as the ones by Orlando Duque of Colombia, who impatient as everyone present delayed his appearance on the scene until the closing stages of training.
But it was worth the wait, because the Colombian, 38, currently based in Honolulu, Hawaii, made a couple of subtle flights, simple and effective performances, in which he showed the reasons for his solid reign in the discipline. Off with great aplomb from the platform, he shrugged as he took impossible turns, opened his arms and entered the water like a sail. Absolutely exquisite.
So, gradually, the afternoon went by between jumps, cheers, whistles, constant jokes between divers and the supporting staff and several well serious conversations between them , escaped discovering the intricacies of the stage, looking for ways to protect themselves from the ( cruel) sun and minimize the negative effects of strong wind.
Across the bay, in la Punta fortress, several workers rode structures where giant screens will be set for fans can watch the competitive show, from the playoffs on Saturday to end the next day.
ONCUBA PLATFORM
Seizing the opportunity to be so close to the world’s best exponents of the Cliff Diving, OnCuba has prepared a special diving platform, from which they don’t need to carry out executions so extreme, but to discover some details of rhis sui generis universe and offer their views on Island and competition.
Today we begin with two figures placed in the Top 5 of the last World Series, the Mexican Jonathan Paredes and American David Colturi (25). In addition, we will share with guest Mexican Jorge Ferzuli.
The Mexican Jonathan Paredes has felt like home, even enjoyed with one of the many street musicians in Havana. Photo: Red Bull Cliff Diving.
Jonathan Paredes (born August 14, 1989, 24. His secret passion is football and his favorite places to jump are Azores, Portugal, and Yucatan, Mexico)
– Havana?
– “I am very happy with the stage, is a beautiful space, with a breathtaking view, different from what we are accustomed to. As in every place, complications arise for jumps, for example, we do not have any reference in front of us and that causes the sense of height is greater and you feel smaller. “
– Aspirations?
– “I have in mind to improve my diving, increase the degree of difficulty. This is the first competition of the year and we all came to refresh what is the World Series, to start over, again hitting jump dynamics with the requirement to obtain a good result, because we have several months away from this kind of pressure. I have two new jumps that hopefully will keep me close to the leading positions . My goal is to finish in the top five to qualify directly for next season. “
David Colturi (born April 30, 1989, 25. Barman by profession and his secret passion is learning new languages. His favorite place is to jump Krabi , Thailand )
– First day in Cuba?
– “It was an amazing day, my first visit to Cuba , the return to competition , ecstasy after several months without jumping , great. I particularly had a good feeling, because I do not feel any discomfort from the ankle injury that affected me most of last season, with training and proper recovery I’m in perfect condition. “
– The scenario?
– ” I was fascinated , but in the first jump, nearly seven months later, when I got to the platform I was terrified , it is inevitable , but then as I felt much better, considering the space to get in the best shape possible competition . “
– Expectations?
– “Including me in the top three of the World Series. I do not like to talk about places, I consider it still too early, but based on what I can do with my jumps I think I can improve the fifth in the last World Series. “
Jorge Ferzuli (born March 11, 1981, 30. Started at diving shows eight years ago. He considers the essential for a specialist of Cliff Diving is flexibility, technique, strength, power and hard work)
– El Morro ?
– “An amazing atmosphere, beautiful view. I liked the platform which is excellent, does not have any type of movement and the floor is a comfortable carpet. The sun has been more disturbing, the sun of Cuba, as they say, truly burns. Also the wind, something uncomfortable, hard to take the pace with such strong winds. “
– Nerves?
– ” I have been long without jumping, between injuries that have lagged me a bit , plus we all do not have the same chance to train over 27 meters. So I was nervous in all the jumps. I did not care much about violating the technical details, I have no problems with these , I was more concerned with the evolution of the jumps , the location during the flight, into the water and see how much time I have before impact. “
– Satisfied?
– “Luckily I was able to make my last two jumps, which have a high degree of difficulty. I could now make new attempts to correct them, but I do not want to get tired, I want to be in top condition for qualifying on Friday, because I need a very good competition and make points to earn more invitations. “
