Cliff Diving’s Next Chapter Begins at Possum Kingdom

Story by Steve Nussbaum | Photos contributed by David Colturi

David Colturi said he fell in love with Possum Kingdom after his first visit to Possum Kingdom Lake in 2014, calling it “an oasis.”

Colturi, a two-time U.S. national diving champion, said he came to the lake a decade ago as part of a promotional tour for cliff diving competitions, and part of the promo event was taking PGA golfer Ricky Fowler out to experience what PK had to offer.

Colturi said he and Fowler played a few holes of golf at The Cliffs, then found a cliff for Fowler to jump off, Speedo and all.

Fowler’s manager wouldn’t let the golfer jump from the 90-foot platform at Hell’s Gate, but Colturi found a good cliff for the famous golfer to make a splash.

Colturi said he’s been a PK fan ever since.

The Platform above Devils Island on Hell’s Gate stands at 90 feet above the water. Divers reach speeds of 55 MPH

This past October, Colturi was one of the organizers of the first No Limits Tour Cliff Diving event at Possum Kingdom. 

The No Limits Tour Cliff Diving Championship, a new, athlete-owned professional cliff diving series, launched its inaugural season at Hell’s Gate on Possum Kingdom Lake in front of more than 3,000 spectators. The historic first event featured elite athletes performing complex pikes, twists, somersaults and more from heights of up to 90 feet while traveling at speeds up to 55 mph. The competition was fierce, with some of the world’s best technical and freestyle cliff divers participating across three rounds of diving, all while being judged by a panel of experts on difficulty, artistry and technique.

In the women’s event, Australia’s Xantheia Pennisi wowed the judges and finished more than 20 points ahead of second-place finisher Ginni Van Katwijk and home favorite Kaylea Arnett. It was Pennisi’s first-ever NLT Cliff Diving crown, and her first win at a cliff diving event.

“This was an incredible event,” Pennisi said. “It was my first time in Texas, my first-ever No Limits Tour event, and my first cliff diving win. Possum Kingdom Lake was beautiful. I’m already looking forward to the NLT coming back to Texas next year, and I can’t wait for more competitions with NLT.”

In the men’s technical event, Romanian’s Catalin Preda edged out the U.S. pair of James Lichtenstein and Scott Lazaroff, who were separated by a mere two points.

“What the NLT team, sponsors, and everyone involved pulled off was truly inspirational, and I’m excited for the future of the NLT,” Preda said. “The fans at Possum Kingdom Lake were outstanding, and I can’t wait to see even more of them next year.”

In a break from traditional cliff diving competitions, the NLT event also featured a men’s freestyle category, with Reagan Popoff from Plano, Texas, taking top honors, followed by Connecticut’s ⁠Jonah Genser and ⁠Jody England from Truckee, California.

“It was the best event of my entire life,” Popoff said. “Having the hometown crowd out there, hundreds of boats, and people rooting for us, watching us do our thing and being able to showcase freestyle, it became one of the best moments of my life. I got to win in front of my family, and I’m extremely grateful for the NLT and the people out there at Possum Kingdom Lake for supporting us.”

The NLT Cliff Diving Championship, co-founded by Colturi and former professional junior alpine skier and entrepreneur Raphael Eder, is seeking to elevate extreme sports with an athlete-owned, content-first approach.

The Hell’s Gate debut was supported by several local business partners, including Lush Resort, Action Watersports and Harlan Leeds. Colturi and Eder said they loved the diving, but the evening events at Lush were awesome, too, and they expressed gratitude for the local support.

The Hell’s Gate diving event originated from a vision to elevate cliff diving to new heights, with long-term goals to bring the sport to the Olympic Games and redefine cliff diving for the next generation of athletes and fans. The event is scheduled to be followed by a full global schedule in 2026 that will feature breathtaking dives set against iconic natural and city backdrops.

Upcoming tour locations have been identified in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, with plans for an eight-event global calendar by 2028 and projected revenues of $50 million by 2035. The championship also is aiming for more than 8 billion social media views by 2030.

“This historic first event is everything we planned for and dreamed of,” Colturi said. “With world-class divers, an amazing venue and incredible conditions, this was the perfect start. This first event was kind of a test, so it wasn’t widely publicized, but word quickly got out, and we had great October crowds.”

He said NLT plans to return to PK with a full-fledged promotion of the event along with a whole festival setting, but no dates have been set yet.