We were taking a trip down memory lane this week thinking about some of our stand out moments on our Ireland small group tours and one trip in particular sprang to mind. It was a group booked in at the same time as the Red Bull Cliff Diving championships on the largest Aran Island – Inishmore. We visit the spot during our Wild Atlantic Way tour.
This death defying competition took place at The Serpent’s Lair, a naturally formed blow hole that is almost perfectly rectangle. Competitors must time their dive perfectly to land in this most inhospitable hole in the Atlantic Ocean. From the viewing platform it seems that the divers will most certainly meet their maker but magically plunge into the fresh waters at the last minute. We were awestruck watching them. It`s one of those unforgettable moments on Wild Atlantic Way tour.
2014 was the last time this event took place but rumour has it that the Red Bull team will return to the Emerald Isle again in 2016 to battle it out to become the world champion cliff diver.
3000 spectators traveled to the diving location, by ferry, by paddle board and by boat. Like all our tours to Inishmore we took our guests to view the spectacle from the sea on our very own chartered yacht. Fortunately the weather was on our side and summer sun stayed with us for the day.
The Aran Islands have been described as an Outdoor Museum with its Celtic churches, hand built stone walls and the prehistoric stone fort at Dún Aengus, by the good people in Fáilte Ireland.
After a couple of hours watching the competitors our guests hired bikes and cycled to the famous stone fort Dún Aengus. They spent the evening in Joe Watties bar listening to traditional music and enjoying a creamy pint of Guinness and fresh seafood. The perfect way to end the day on this Wild Atlantic Way Tour.
What finished off this wonderful trip to Aran in style was a night on board the boat. The guests played cards until the small hours of the morning before setting sail for Galway City and another day of culture and craic along their Ireland adventure tour.
Update: 03/03/2017
We are super stoked to announce that the event is back at the edge of Europe for 2017. The event will take place on the 24th of June 2017 and will take the full day. You can either book a boat and watch it from the water, which is spectacular as normally you only get to see the perfect cliffs from the pool side.
We are happy to announce that the pool still has a perfect rectangular shape and is one of the best spots in the world to hold this event. We will try to work something out so we can integrate this our Wild Atlantic Way Tour as we fully understand this is a unique opportunity for most people.
So, if you want to see the legends jumping down these amazing cliffs please contact us. We can arrange private tours to the islands so you can have your perfect viewing spot and angle. For our contact details please press the link.
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