The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series is set to bring its only U.S. stop of the 2026 season to St. Petersburg, the competition’s first event in Florida.
The two-day event is scheduled for June 5–6 at the St. Pete Pier’s North Yacht Basin, where 24 athletes will compete from platforms up to 90 feet high above Tampa Bay.
The field includes 12 men and 12 women, with U.S. divers Kaylea Arnett, Lisa Faulkner and James Lichtenstein expected to compete.
The stop places St. Petersburg on a six-event international circuit that opens in Bali in May and continues through Europe and the Middle East before concluding in Oman in November.
The Florida event is the second stop on the 2026 calendar.
For local officials and tourism leaders, the event adds a major early-summer draw to the downtown waterfront, with organizers expecting thousands of spectators across the pier, parks and surrounding waterways.
The competition features high-difficulty dives judged on execution and control, with athletes reaching speeds of more than 50 miles per hour during descent. Reigning champions Rhiannan Iffland and Gary Hunt are expected to headline the field.
The U.S. stop follows a milestone for the sport domestically. Lichtenstein became the first American male diver to win on U.S. soil at the 2025 series finale in Boston.
“Winning in Boston last season was a huge moment,” Lichtenstein said. “To now come into St. Pete as the only U.S. stop this year, it feels like we’re building something bigger.”
The event will be free and open to the public, with a live broadcast scheduled on Red Bull TV.
The event adds another large-scale draw to the St. Pete Pier, reinforcing its role as a venue for major public events tied to tourism and downtown activity.
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