Your Guide To A Getaway

Acapulco Cliff Diving

Watching a high dive can be spectacular anywhere, but in Acapulco, it is amazing. Though much of the mystique of Acapulco has faded the timeless magic of cliff diving has remained.

Acapulco has seen better times. Today's Americanized Acapulco only vaguely resembles the “Golden Acapulco” of Elvis' time. Then, Acapulco was as cool and hip as Havana.

Now all that remains of the glory days is the spectacle of cliff diving.

Cliff diving has been around since about 1934 in the Quebrada Cliffs (which means “the break” or “the gorge”) that jut out over the Pacific Ocean. Acapulco cliff divers still tempt and defy death.

With acrobatics that could shame any Olympian caliber diver, the cliff divers of Acapulco propel from the platform, through the air to clear the treacherous cliff face, perfectly every time.

To make the dives even more death defying, they occur amongst fjords that are too shallow for such high dive, where the water is only about 12 feet deep. This requires that the diver carefully time his dive to coincide with the next big crest of waves.

This daredevil act was once a skill used by local fishermen. Fishermen would use the high dive to drive them into the depths of the water as fast as possible, so that they would have breath remaining to work at freeing snagged lines. The diving skill possessed by these Acapulco fishermen remained all but unknown until the 1930s. With the advent of tourism, Acapulco became a hot tourist destination, and the locals quickly realized they could make far more money displaying their diving skill than they would earn fishing.

Today, Acapulco cliff dives can be seen from viewing balconies for a fee of 20 pesos, or about $2 USD. One good spot is the Plaza Las Glorias in El Mirador Hotel.

The La Perla Restaurant, which is adjacent to the El Mirador Hotel, is also an excellent spot for watching the cliff diving. In fact, this restaurant was built primarily for that purpose.

Though it seems the divers are left unscathed by the waters, in fact, they are not. Over the years, the diving takes a toll on the performers. You may notice that most of the divers are young, in their 20s. Countless dives can take a distinct toll on the skeletal structure of the divers, which can be seen in the person of Jorge Monico Ramirez, who now suffers with punctured eardrums and other bodily reminders of his many cliff dives.

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