World's first cable car dive in Co Cork

Ottoline Spearman

The world's first cable car dive has been done off the coast of Cork.

Red Bull cliff diver, Orland Duque, completed a 24-metre dive off a cable car in Dursey Island on Wednesday.

The West Cork cable car is the only one in mainland Europe that crosses open sea water.

Opened in 1969, it is Ireland's only cable car, and was established to support islanders, who often faced isolation during harsh weather due to the hazardous tidal currents of the stretch of water that separates the island from the mainland, the Dursey Sound.

It is now predominantly used by tourists and island farmers.

Talking to the Irish Examiner, Orlando Duque said he had jumped off a lot of things during his diving career, but a cable car was definitely a first: “The cable car itself is so unique. To have the opportunity to dive from it was something special.

“Dursey Island, and the whole area around, is very, very unique. It is such a beautiful area, but with the wind here, the currents, the changing tide - there were so many challenges.”

Part of the challenge was the swinging movement of the cable car - which made maintaining balance and making the jump all the more difficult.

"As soon as you leave the cable car you need to start solving problems, like building up speed," Mr Duque said.