Diving into the extreme Norwegian sport of 'death diving'

WBUR

Published August 21, 2026 at 10:06 AM MDT

Asbjørg Nesje from Norway is a participant and trains in front of the Opera House in Oslo, Norway, on August 25, 2023, one day before the 2023 World Championship in Døds Diving (Death Diving). (Javad Parsa/AFP via Getty Images)

Every year, Norway holds the Døds Diving World Championship (DWC), where divers compete on who can leap from extreme heights into water in the most dramatic fashion. The premise is to maintain a spread-eagle position in the air as long as you can, then tuck your body in at the last second before making contact with the water.

The sport debuted in Oslo in 2008, but the tradition goes back decades. This year’s DWC is taking place this upcoming Saturday in Arendal, Norway.

Here & Now‘s Rob Schmitz caught up with death diver Alex Noddeland ahead of the competition about why he loves the sport.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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