Cliff Diving: Acapulco daredevils continue to thrill tourists

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As we mentioned earlier, the diving competitions are on-going at the FINA World Championships and now we meet a very different group of divers in Acapulco, Mexico who have been putting their lives at risk daily for tourists. CGTN's Alasdair Baverstock reports.

28-year-old Alejandro Rivera dropped out of school at the age of 11. He's never considered learning a trade. In his family, there's only one occupation.

Five times a day, come rain or shine, he takes the 35-meter plunge from a sheer cliff face into the Pacific Ocean. He's one of Acapulco's clavadistas or cliff divers, a famous tourist attraction in the town.

ALEJANDRO RIVERA ACAPULCO CLIFF DIVER "It's an adrenaline-fueled activity. Most people won't feel adrenaline more than three or four times in a month, while we feel it five to seven times a day. It's a feeling that puts you in the moment and alert."

The practice started 85 years ago when local fishermen took higher leaps of faith. Today, it draws thousands of visitors a year according to the Clavadistas association based in Acapulco.

ALASDAIR BAVERSTOCK ACAPULCO, MEXICO "There's more to cliff diving here in Acapulco than meets the eye. The rocky plunge pool they're hurling themselves into deepens and shallows with the swell of the Pacific Ocean below. Time a dive wrong, and there's nothing to break this 35-meter drop."

Careers in the high-diving game take their toll on the body, a fact well-known to former diver, and now Clavadistas association vice president, Jorge Ramirez.

JORGE RAMIREZ CLAVADISTAS ASSOCIATION VICE PRESIDENT "This activity involves a mortal risk. No-one's ever died, but injuries are common. Things like detached retinas, ruptured eardrums, spinal cord injuries, lower back problems, we've seen broken arms, broken wrists and elbows, there's a lot of risk."

Alejandro Rivera says it's a career that comes with risks but ultimately - the decision to pursue it is left up to the individual.

ALEJANDRO RIVERA ACAPULCO CLIFF DIVER "When you get injured for the first time, that's when you decide whether to make this your career. It's your trial by fire, after which you'll either try again to get better, or get scared by the thought of another injury, and give it up forever."

Despite all this Alejandro can't see himself doing anything else.

ALEJANDRO RIVERA ACAPULCO CLIFF DIVER "I won't stop cliff diving, because it's a sport, a tradition, and an art-form. And it's something that lets me earn money for doing something I love, like any other professional sportsman."

Alejandro will continue to dive off this cliff for as long as his body will allow it, and only then might he consider a more traditional line of work. He says it's to honor his home town over everything else. Alasdair Baverstock, CGTN, Acapulco, Mexico.