01-07-2025
Horrifying footage shows moment cliff diver slipped and fell 22 metres
Canadian high diver Molly Carlson has withdrawn from the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series following a terrifying fall that sent her plunging several stories into the ocean.
The 26-year-old Olympic athlete took to social media to share footage of the terrifying incident.
In the video, Carlson can be seen drawing closer to the edge of the 22-metre high platform. Right after she jumps, she appears to slip on the board and fall off the platform. In the few seconds she's airborne, Carlson manages to rotate her body and land feet-first. Immediately after she lands, onlookers can be seen rushing to her side.
'Scariest moment of my life…,' she wrote in her caption.
'It breaks my heart to announce that I will not be competing in the second stop of the @redbullcliffdiving World Series here in Italy as I've suffered a really scary accident. One of my nightmares came true.
'First of all I am so grateful to be okay. I never imagined in my life that I would ever slip off of a high diving platform but it happened.
'I'm SHOCKED at my reflex skills to find my feet like a cat and be okay. Unfortunately on the takeoff I got a massive bruise on my foot. I considered powering through and diving on it but it just wasn't the right choice for my health.
'Thank you to everyone in advance for your kind words, I am okay. Italy, I'm so glad I still got a few beautiful dives in xoxo, until next time, Ciao.'
People online were shocked to see the footage.
'That's scary as sh*t. I felt anxiety just watching the video,' one person commented.
'My stomach sank reading this…' said another.
'Super impressive save. Especially considering the literal life and death stakes. Really hope she is able to continue competing, I could easily see something like this being enough of a mental strain to end a career,' commented another.
Just one day after her initial announcement, Carlson took to social media again to share a different angle of the fall. It shows the exact moment her foot slipped on the platform, and in slow-motion, captures the horrifying few seconds she had to correct her form.
'PSA: Always measure your run up correctly,' she warned in her caption.
'This new angle of my near death experience is insane. The Slomo and the song is so dramatic I'm so sorry. I had to.
'This angle really helped me understand that my toes were already going to be past the platform when I landed because I didn't measure my run up with 100% power. And then when I went for the dive I gave it 200% power.
'Overall, I'm okay and I will definitely learn from this. So so so proud of the other girls who competed into the big waves today! Can't wait to be back up there with you.'
