THIS terrific time-lapse picture captures all the cliffhanger drama when the world’s best extreme divers headed for Guatemala for the first time.

The 2023 season of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series opens next week on June 3 in the Stateside city of Boston, before travelling round some of the world’s most spectacular sites.

And this year three world series champions warmed up in Guatemala after a 1,500km quest by to seek out and sample the very best diving sites.

Australia’s Rhiannan Iffland, Jonathan Paredes from Mexico and Colombian legend Orlando Duque joined forces to realise the first cliff dives in three unspoiled rugged locations across the country.

They made leaps of faith into the Rio Dulce canyon, volcanic Lake Atitlán and from the Central American country’s tallest waterfalls at Los Amates, where the lead picture in this post was taken.

First, Iffland, Paredes and Duque – who have roughly 50 years of experience in diving from great heights between them – needed to rappel between two waterfalls.

The landing area below was limited but the water was deep enough, up to four metres. It was, says Paredes, “a difficult day at the office” but an experience to remember for the rest of his life.

To see where this year’s Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series stops off this year, dive in to the official competition website.

Read more: Amazing pictures from the 2022 World Series