Once again, Mostar welcomed the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series and brought together the world’s top cliff divers to compete against gravity, height, and stunning scenery. This event holds a special place in my heart because it is my ninth time photographing it since the series first came to Bosnia. As a location for this kind of event, Mostar is spectacular on so many levels. The emerald waters of the Neretva River and the iconic Old Bridge (Stari Most) make for the perfect visual backdrop. But it is the centuries-old tradition of jumping into the river from this bridge that gives the event its unique character.

After so many years, it’s not easy to find new angles and perspectives that bring something fresh and different. That becomes even harder when the image of a diver plunging into the river with the Old Bridge in the background has already become an almost legendary scene in this region. However, Mostar always manages to surprise and offer something new. I believe that this time as well I managed to create unique photographs that represented the event in a special way, from the moment a diver launches off the platform, through the movements in the air, to the entry into the cold waters of the Neretva. For this occasion, I used a Nikon camera, Subal underwater housings, and various lenses, as well as a drone for aerial shots, which always provide a distinctive angle and perspective on the event by capturing not only the action but also the panorama of Mostar.

For me, as a photographer, the feeling is always different each year, and that inevitably reflects in my photos. From my perspective, weather conditions play a major role. Whether it’s sunny or cloudy, the light dictates the atmosphere of the photos and requires me to adjust my positions and equipment. At the Red Bull Cliff Diving event, the main focus is photographing from the water, another one of my specialties. The Neretva itself, where I am positioned during the shoot, is the biggest challenge. Much depends on the river’s temperature and current. When photographing from the water, it is essential that I stay in a position that is safe for both me and the diver. However, the Neretva, known for its strong current, can often carry me into restricted or unsafe zones. That is an additional challenge I must face.

Although careful planning is the backbone of all my work, here I cannot plan too much in advance because of the weather and the conditions on site or, to be more precise, in the river. But that’s exactly where my years of experience photographing events like this, along with my diving background and underwater photography skills, truly come into play. The ninth edition of Red Bull Cliff Diving in Mostar gathered 12 male and 12 female divers, a standard line-up for each stop of this world series. Divers leapt from a platform 26 to 28 meters high, executing acrobatics and twists before entering the river, leaving the audience in absolute awe. Thousands of spectators gathered to watch the spectacle, cheering from the riverbanks and from boats on the Neretva. Rhiannan Iffland triumphed in the women’s category, while Constantin Popovici took the title in the men’s category.

ABOUT MOSTAR’S BRIDGE DIVING LEGACY

Bridge-diving in Mostar goes back centuries and is rooted deeply in local tradition and lore. As early as 1664, historian-traveller Evliya Çelebi (also known as Mehmed Zilli) documented young men leaping from the Old Bridge, a 27-meter-high humpbacked bridge over the emerald waters of the Neretva River. These jumps weren’t just shows of courage; they were rites of passage. The divers, known as Mostari or “bridge-keepers,” performed flips, dives, and daring motions not just to entertain, but to earn prestige and prove themselves in the eyes of the community.Over time, what began as city tradition evolved into an organized sport. An annual diving competition has been held in Mostar since 1968, forging a reliable summer ritual, interrupted only by the destruction of Old Bridge during the 1990s war in Bosnia. Following the reconstruction of the bridge in 2004, the tradition was revived and has thrived ever since. In 2015, Mostar became one of the stops on the global stage via the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, blending ancient diving heritage with modern extreme sport spectacle.

ABOUT RED BULL CLIFF DIVING WORLD SERIES

The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series began in 2009, as a leading global competition for high diving. Each season, the world’s best male and female divers jump from platforms set at a 26 to 28 meters of hight, depending on the location. They perform stunning acrobatics before they enter the water at speeds that can go up to 85km/h. The series travels to some of the world’s most spectacular locations, from rugged sea cliffs to iconic bridges and historic fortresses, turning natural and cultural landmarks into dramatic sporting arenas.

INSIDE THE SHOOT WITH PREDRAG VUCKOVIC

Water photography is one of Predrag Vučković’s core specialties. What sets him apart is not only his photographic skill, but also his extensive background as a scuba diver. Vučković is a professional scuba diver and a certified SSI Open Water Instructor, which means he feels just as comfortable in the water as he does on land.

For this shooting, he used:

  • Nikon Z9 camare
  • Subal underwater housing + ZEN 230 mm DOME PORT
  • Nikon Z lenses 14 – 24 mm, ф 2.8; Nikon Z lenses 24 – 70 mm, ф 2.8; Nikon Z lenses 70 – 200 mm, ф 2.8;
  • Nikon lenses 8 – 15 mm, ф 2.8 + FTY Adapter
  • DJI Mavic PRO 3 Drone.

His portfolio includes extraordinary projects that required underwater photography, as well as events like the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, where the water itself becomes an open-air studio. To achieve this, he relies on specialized underwater housings and professional diving equipment, ensuring he can operate safely while delivering images that few others could capture.