Who says the best thing about Niterói is the view of Rio? (OK,
maybe everybody… well, at least every Carioca.) We Niteroiense (folks from Niterói)
know better. Can I get a shout out from my brothers in Oakland, CA?
It would seem the folks at the Red Bull cliff diving championship
know it too. Niterói is one of the sites hosting the Red Bull 2013 Cliff Diving
World Series. They will be here September 27th and 28th
on Icaraí beach – just three blocks from our apartment.
According to the official website, they are very excited. “For the
first time in the history of the World Series, the world's best cliff divers
touch down on the South American mainland. The place chosen to host the high
diving elite is the beach of Icaraí in Niterói, a city in the state of Rio de
Janeiro, with which it shares the Guanabara Bay. The name of the beach means
"holy river" in the native language (my note: indigenous people, not
the Portuguese) and used to be a place where people jumped from a platform
during the 1950s.”
Actually, the diving platform on Icaraí beach, which was built in 1936,
remained there until demolished in 1965. Luiz tells many a tale about skipping
grade school with his little buddies and going to the beach to jump from the lower
platform while his parents were unaware of his shenanigans.
The cliff diving folks at Red Bull will be constructing a
temporary diving platform that reaches 27 meters above the water, significantly higher
than the historic beach attraction.
Sounds great – but did their advance team
check on the water quality of Guanabara Bay and the healthfulness of swimming at
Praia de Icaraí? I don’t mean to be a wet blanket here, but the official
recommendation from the city, posted daily, regarding the water safety for
bathers is typically “not recommended.”
Don’t get me wrong. Luiz and I swim at numerous beaches in Niterói,
but they are the ocean beaches. We have yet to venture any further than ankle
deep into the bay beaches, including Praia de Icaraí. But hey, they are the
professionals.
The event is going to be super cool for us, but, dare I say it? It
would seem the best thing about the location choice would be the view
of the Christ the Redeemer statute and Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio across the
bay. Ouch.
Come
join the party. While you are here you can visit the landmark MAC Museum
(contemporary art) just a few hundred meters up the beach (and a part of that
spectacular view).
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2 comments:
Sounds like you have an exciting weekend coming up next week! But leave the diving to the professionals...doesn't sound the properly checked the water quality...ah well at least they aren't swimming 20km!
That sounds amazing, although not one for the faint hearted! How was it?
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