Terrifying footage of man setting world record for highest dive that took decades to beat

Footage showing a diver leaping off a platform to set a record for the highest dive ever has begun circulating on social media.

The terrifying footage shows Rick Winters, a daredevil and high dive expert, at the 1983 World Record High Dive Challenge event at SeaWorld in San Diego.

The tension felt throughout the area is palpable as newscasters attempted to speak to Winters moments before his jump.

Though you’d expect him to be shaking with fear he seemed to be brimming with confidence, and insisted he was sure going to make the dive. Take a look:

In the crowd was Winters’ wife and young children, who were most likely concerned for his safety as they watched from below.

The video showed that seconds later Winters somersaulted off the platform into the pool below at a height of 172 feet, setting a record that would last for decades.

The sheer height of the drop is hard to picture but is better realized when the cameras at the event pull back to show Winters’s view of the crowd below as well as Sea World’s surrounding area.

Five other divers tied the world record for high diving at 172 feet, Mike Foley, Rick Charls, Dana Kunze, Bruce Boccia, however, it is Winters’ clip that has remained circulating on the internet.

ABC

The clip has gone viral on social media and has been shared on x, with many users both impressed and terrified of the mere sight of watching Winter’s plunge.

“So scary, I can’t even watch,” wrote one X user.

“I've done all kinds of stupid s*** in my youth...looking for thrills and such!! I've NEVER done this!! I salute you, my friend,” joked another.

“Wow amazing! I can't even jump from 1m springboard,” added another.

Despite many social media posts claiming that Winter’s holds this record to this day, according to the Guinness World Record, the highest dive from a diving board is 58.8 m (192 ft 10 in) and was achieved by Lazaro "Laso" Schaller in Maggia, Ticino, Switzerland, on August 4, 2015.

ABC

“Months preparation went into this challenge. Schaller and his team had to build a permanent, flat and rigid diving board, and the water below had to be explored using scuba gear to ensure Laso would be safe to jump into it,” according to the page.

It added: “This is a record that should only be attempted with extreme caution and the proper training.”

We couldn’t agree more.

Topics: Guinness World Records

Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard is a Journalist at UNILAD and has dived headfirst into covering everything from breaking global stories to trending entertainment news. He has a bachelors in English Literature from Brunel University and has written across a number of different national and international publications. Most notably the Financial Times, Daily Express, Evening Standard and Newsweek.