Last April 12 was the second day of the 2025 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in El Nido, Philippines, brought thrilling performances and notable shifts in the leaderboard.
“It’s the perfect place to cliff dive… it’s so beautiful,” legendary 10-time World Series champion and El Nido wildcard Gary Hunt said after completing his second day of diving. “As long as you have good shoes to protect yourself from these sharp rocks! The climb is amazing. When you’re up there you feel like the king of the world. It’s an incredible feeling.”
The action ramped up on Day 2, as the athletes faced the iconic and ethereal Small Lagoon — a stunning and dramatic backdrop for Round 2, where they tackled a mix of Required and Intermediate dives in the final capped-points round of the competition.
Nelli Chukanivska of the Ukraine dives from 20 metres off the pinnacle in the Small Lagoon during the second competition day of the first stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in El Nido, Philippines on April 12, 2025. // Dean Treml / Red Bull Content Pool
In the women’s category, Ukraine’s Nelli Chukanivska continued her meteoric rise. The 18-year-old former wildcard, now a permanent diver in just her fifth-ever World Series appearance, turned heads with a fearless performance that built on her incredible Round 1 success. Three 7.5 scores from the judges for a soaring Forward Flying 2 Somersaults 1/2 Twist elevated Chukanivska into 2nd place at the end of Day 2, marking the rising star as one to watch this season.
In Round 2, Canada’s Molly Carlson showcased exactly why she’s considered Rhiannan Iffland’s fiercest rival. Returning strong after a mediocre first outing in El Nido, Carlson delivered a powerful Forward 2 Somersaults 1/2 Twist dive that actually outscored Iffland’s Round 2 dive, keeping the pressure on the reigning champion.
Molly Carlson of Canada dives from the 20 metres off the pinnacle in the Small Lagoon during the second competition day of the first stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in El Nido, Philippines on April 12, 2025. // Ricardo Nascimento / Red Bull Content Pool
Iffland, however, held her nerve with trademark poise and precision, serving up a reliable performance that earned 7.5 scores from the judges for a Required Reverse Flying 1 Somersault dive, giving the Australian the boost needed to take the top spot.
“I’m leading right now, but only by a hair and a freckle — not by much!” the Australian conceded. “I haven’t done my dives yet so let’s see if today hasn’t boosted my confidence. I think it’s never good to be too confident because you have to do four consistent dives. It’s never over until the last dive’s over. But yeah — [1st] is a good place to sit.”
“I wish today’s dive could have been better,” she added, “but it could have been much worse, so it was pretty solid. I guess I put myself in a good place to go into the last two rounds.”
Iffland finished the day tentatively in control at the top of the leaderboard ahead of Day 3’s high-DD Optional Dives.
“Like every season, every competition is important if you’re talking about the World Series title and the race to hold that trophy,” the defending champion said after wrapping Day 2. “It’s a short season this year, and it’s going to be interesting. I don’t think we’ve had one like this before and definitely the divers who’re fighting for the world season title are going to make an interesting battle — there’s not really much room for error,” she explained. “That’s the way I’m looking at it. But coming to this location, how can you not enjoy it?!”
Heading into the last day of competition, just 8.05 points currently stand between the 8-time King Kahekili champion and the 18-year-old rookie Chukanivska, who sits in second with two rounds remaining.
Over in the men’s field, experience reigned supreme. The top three positions after two rounds of diving were claimed by divers who’ve previously launched from El Nido’s cliffs. Romania’s Constantin Popovici backed up his Day 1 lead with another standout dive, demonstrating his dynamic style and steadfast consistency.
“Day 1 and Day 2 were pretty smooth for me — my double half and triple half dives [Forward 2 Somersaults 1/2 Twist and Forward 3 Somersaults 1/2 Twist] were nothing too crazy,” Popovici said.
“I scored 9.0s and a 9.5, which I’m really happy with. I was working hard on my barani technique because last year I think this was the issue with the scoring on my easier dives, so I’ve really tried hard to improve on it,” the Romanian diver commented. “Today and yesterday were successful, and I’ll try to maintain that.”
Jonathan Paredes of Mexico dives from 24.5 metres off the pinnacle in the Small Lagoon during the second competition day of the first stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in El Nido, Philippines on April 12, 2025. // Romina Amato / Red Bull Content Pool
Mexico’s Jonathan Paredes, who claimed third place overall in El Nido back in 2019, returned to the cliffs as a 2025 wildcard and delivered a trademark display of artistry and finesse. The ‘Stylemaster’ earned three 8.5s for his Forward 3 Somersaults 1/2 Twist, propelling the seasoned 35-year-old into second place overall.
And another standout from El Nido’s class of 2019, Ukraine’s Oleksiy Prygorov, also brought his winning momentum from last season’s finale in Sydney when he threw down a rock-solid performance in the Philippines. Prygorov’s Forward 3 Somersaults 1/2 Twist picked up three impressive 9.0 scores from the judges, giving the Ukrainian the highest-scoring dive of Round 2 and a points boost that saw him rise up the ranks from 6th into 3rd.
The familiar terrain may have given these seasoned pros an edge — but with every dive counting in this unforgiving four-stop season, there’s no room to relax.
