"Not only do you have to be really good, but you have to be really consistent [to win]," said Duque, a former cliff diver and the event's first winner in 1997. "It is the highest prestige."

Saturday will also feature live sets from Red Bull DJs and a jumbo screen to watch the dives up close near ReelHouse Oyster Bar. The women's competition starts at 10:15 a.m., with final dives set for 11:35 a.m., while the men's portion begins at 10:45 a.m., with final dives at noon. The winners will be announced at 1 p.m. in front of the ICA. Duque encouraged spectators to bring snacks too, as there will not be any for sale inside the event.

This is the 16th season of the World Series. The competition was started in 1997, called the Bull Cliff Diving World Championships, but only included a small cohort of divers competing without rankings. In 2009, the competition morphed into the event it is now, with the first champion of the World Series crowned in Hawai'i, the birthplace of cliff diving, according to Red Bull's website. Boston has been a regular stop on the annual tour, but this is the first time that the finals will be held in the Bay State.

Seven of the 24 divers this season are representing the United States, with Kaylea Arnett, a 32-year-old from Amarillo, Texas, a frontrunner for a top-three spot on the women's podium.

Arnett, the top-ranked cliff diver in the United States, began competing in the sport at Red Bull's 2024 World Series. A lifelong diver, she competed in traditional diving competitions throughout her childhood as well as in college at Virginia Tech. Upon graduating, Arnett moved to Macao, China, to perform as a diver for the aquatic show "House of Dancing Water," then moved to Las Vegas to work as a performer for the aquatic Cirque du Soleil show, "O."

Arnett described feeling burnt out during her earlier years of competing, but used her time as a performer to learn to love the sport again.

"When I decided to do Red Bull Cliff Diving, I knew that I was going to have to change my mind-set about competing," Arnett told the Globe in a recent interview. "I treat it more like a performance than a competition, and that really helps ease the nerves."

Arnett's first dive at the 2024 World Series was in Boston, where she placed second. That season, her first with Red Bull, she placed fifth overall. Coming back to Boston, Arnett has two simple goals for this weekend's finals: avoid injuries and have fun.

"I am thrilled that I am going to Boston unscathed, and just excited to dive in front of my family," Arnett said, noting that her family plans to watch her compete in Boston. "Regardless of my position, it's going to be so magical."

Despite Arnett's humble outlook, she is expected to perform well, according to Duque. The top spot for women has already been decided by the rankings from three previous competitions, and will go to Rhiannan Iffland, an Australian diver who has won the World Series every year since 2016.

The fight for the men's championship, as well as the women's runner-up, will be exciting to watch, according to Duque. Arnett will go head-to-head with Lisa Faulkner, a fellow American diver who performed with Arnett in Macao, for the second-place spot in the women's competition. The two are "really close," according to Duque.

"They are doing very difficult dives at such high quality," Duque said. "It comes down to whoever can handle the pressure."

RED BULL CLIFF DIVING WORLD SERIES FINALS 2025

Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series finals stop in Boston this weekend - The Boston Globe