Do not try this at home!
A professional high diver named Ginni Van Katwijk gave her 84.9 thousand Instagram followers a taste of what it’s like to jump from a 55-foot diving board into a pool onboard Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas.
The dive took place inside the Oasis-class ship’s AquaTheater, which is designed for extreme stunts and water theater.
Although the Instagram reel was posted a while ago, it’s recently surfaced as the latest viral video – earning nearly 2.5 million likes as of the time of publication.
Before she effortlessly flips and twists her way through the air and into the pool below, Van Katwijk shows the view from the top and explains where she is supposed to aim so that she makes it into the water safely.
The Dutch high diver then takes the leap without showing an ounce of fear – although the people that watched her dive in person and on social media likely felt more than enough anxiety on her behalf.
“That’s a whole lot of nope for me. Kudos to her tho,” one viewer wrote in response to the video.
“She did the best triple hell naw I’ve ever seen,” another commenter wrote, along with a laughing face emoji.
“Couldn’t even watch. I don’t need this type of stress in my life,” a third added.
Watch Katwijk’s Impressive 55-Foot Dive Here:
Of course, fear and awe are probably the right emotions for the standard cruiser to feel when watching stunts unfold in the AquaTheater.
Even the bravest of guests would not be allowed to try this stunt for themselves – with Van Katwijk only permitted because she is a trained professional working with Royal Caribbean.
In addition to serving several contracts with the Miami-based cruise line, she has competed in high diving around the world – including as part of the prestigious and highly competitive Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
Stunts & Performances in the AquaTheater
The AquaTheater first debuted on Oasis of the Seas, and is now found on all of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ships, as well as onboard Icon of the Seas.
The performance space is particularly unique onboard the first Icon-class ship, as it is housed inside of the record-breaking AquaDome.
The AquaDome, which counts as one of the eight neighborhoods onboard the world’s current largest cruise ship, is home to the largest glass dome ever created for a cruise ship and hosts some unique performances that won’t be seen in any other Royal Caribbean AquaTheater.
Different types of stunts, such as high diving, acrobatics, and even tightrope walking, are put on display in shows like “The Fine Line,” “Hideaway Heist,” “Aqua Action!,” and “Splash.”
Athletes like Van Katwijk help to tell the unique stories of the shows by simply doing what they do best.
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One of the biggest concerns shared by commenters on Van Katwijk’s video – and likely by cruise guests who attend the extreme shows – is how the athletes stay safe doing such a risky job.
Some wondered if the rockiness of the cruise ships or unexpected weather conditions put the athletes at a greater risk than they would be if they did the same stunt on land.
“The AquaTheater shows really are a spectacle, and great entertainment. However – I worry about these. Just once, out of tens of thousands of shows, someone might die trying [the] high dive stunt. When they do… what then?,” a concerned watcher wrote.
That said, Royal Caribbean takes many safety precautions to keep the athletes as safe as possible – such as by conducting strict pre-dive checks, only employing certified divers, and using a hydraulic mechanism that allows the pool floor to be raised or lowered depending on what is needed for the performance and safe for the stunt.
Past cruisers have also reported incidents where the shows were cancelled due to poor weather conditions or particularly choppy seas that crossed the threshold into unsafe territory.
