Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series makes a splash off the coast of Mayo

The event's fourth round visited Downpatrick Head, where 24 competitors leapt 27 metres from a seastack and into the Atlantic

Alessandro De Rose of Italy dives from the 27.5 metre platform during the final competition day of the fourth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at Downpatrick Head, Ireland on September 12, 2021.

Imagine scaling the heights of natural coastlines and world-renowned diving spots - taking that long climb to the very top, approaching that diving board, seeing nothing but the water below you - limbering up, and preparing to drop over 27 metres into the ocean.

Xantheia Pennisi of Australiadives from the 21 metre platform during the final competition day of the fourth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at Downpatrick Head, Ireland on September 12, 2021.

The fourth round of the 2021 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series saw 24 athletes do just this, off the coast of Co Mayo, as table-topping divers Gary Hunt and Rhiannan Iffland were among those stealing the show on a day of broken records.

Four-time champion Iffland looked to stretch her record of consecutive World Series wins to 11, and from third place in the standings, the Australian achieved a rare ‘perfect dive’, earning five 10s from the judges for the first time in her career, smashing the high score for single dives in the process.

Jessica Macaulay of Canada dives from the 21 metre platform during the first competition day of the fourth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at Downpatrick Head, Ireland on September 11, 2021

In the men’s competition, Gary Hunt earned his 41st career victory, earning three 10s in Saturday's going, and seeing off stiff competition to remain atop the table, including Carlos Gimeno, who executed the first-ever perfect handstand dive, becoming only the third man ever to receive five 10s from judges.

Gary Hunt of France dives from the 27.5 metre platform during the final competition day of the fourth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at Downpatrick Head, Ireland on September 12, 2021.

A record-breaking 23 10s were handed out, two perfect dives were recorded in a single stop for the first time ever, and Gimeno became the first diver to ever perform a handstand dive directly off the rocks during the first round, making the event one for the ages for the extreme sport.

Constantin Popovici of Romania dives from the 27.5 metre platform during the final competition day of the fourth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at Downpatrick Head, Ireland on September 12, 2021.

The competition now heads back to mainland Europe, where the fight for the King Kahelili trophy continues with the first of two Italian rounds in Puglia.