The sport started in the 1700s. It was first used as a loyal test for a Hawaiian king. Cliff diving developed from there into a world class sport. It is associated with the World High Diving Federation. It attracts some of the most acrobatic, thrill-seeking sportsmen from all over the world. It also attracts groups of divers. One group, the La Quebrada Cliff Divers, are a group of professionals from Acapulco, Mexico. They put on daily shows and jump from the cliffs at 148 feet. During their dives they often have interesting antics, such as holding lit torches during their dive.

The sport must be taken very seriously as there are many risks involved. Most divers realize that each dive they take might be their last. A diver from a cliff generally exceeds 60 miles per hour in less than three seconds. During their jump there might be a straight line or the diver may choose to include flips, turns, or other acrobatic stunts. It is customary then for the diver to enter the water feet first. This is done in hopes of avoiding any head or neck injury which is common to the sport. Upon entry to the water the diver tries to keep his body as totally still and rigid as possible.

If not perfectly landed, the dive can result in what would happen to a body if a person was falling from a building, four stories tall, head-first. The odds are against the person ever walking again, chances are even greater the person would not survive such a fall

Compared to the number of professionals in other sports, cliff diving has only 150 divers worldwide. One of these divers, Sean Braud, has been ranked 16th in the World of Cliff Diving. He is not only a professional in this sport he is also a stuntman and has been employed in various theme parks around the United States.

Another professional cliff diver is Dustin Webster. He has been with the sport for more than 20 years. He credits his longevity to the fact that he is always prepared and does not take unncessary risks. Orlando Duque and Gary Hunt, two other professionals, attribute success to the avoidance of inherent perils.