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Mazatlan cliff diving. Photo by Gale Horton Gay

Talk about a breathtaking experience. 

On the craggy cliffs of Mazatlan, Mexico, a young man checks the tide as the surf crashes the rocks jutting out of the water. He then climbs the rock, extends his chest with his hands held high. He makes a magnificent leap and soars 75 to 100 feet to the water below.

With the water churning, he swiftly climbs up the rock and approaches onlookers to collect tips. 

Angel, 24, has been cliff diving since he was 16. He learned from his uncle, and currently makes 40 dives a day.

I ask him a few questions and another journalist queries if he does it for the love of diving.

Angel quickly dispels any romantic notion we may have had. 

“It is a necessity,” he says through a translator, as he pushes through the crowd to gather more tips.

This is but one of an array of unique and culturally authentic encounters to experience in vibrant Mazatlan, located on Mexico’s western shore. It is a city rich in history, art and architecture with fresh and flavorful cuisine as well as activities such as ziplining and whale watching.