{"id":472267,"date":"2021-06-08T05:01:10","date_gmt":"2021-06-08T12:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=472267"},"modified":"2021-06-08T08:04:53","modified_gmt":"2021-06-08T15:04:53","slug":"legendary-high-diver-dana-kunze-joins-ishofs-one-in-a-thousand-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/legendary-high-diver-dana-kunze-joins-ishofs-one-in-a-thousand-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"Legendary High Diver Dana Kunze Joins ISHOF’s One in a Thousand Campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"

Legendary high diver\u00a0Dana Kunze\u00a0<\/strong>has joined ISHOF\u2019s One in a Thousand campaign, designed to help the Hall of Fame prosper during the COVID pandemic.<\/p>\n

“I decided to donate because I love the sport of swimming and diving, the place, the people and the mission! I\u2019ve been involved with the Hall of Fame since my first world record for ABC Sports there in 1978 and over the years I have helped by performing some shows, bringing Royal Caribbean to the complex to rehearse, rent the museum and reveal my \u201cSplish Splash\u201d and the Oasis of Dreams shows. I\u2019ve had David Blaine and other friends down to perform at FINA outings, so I try to do what I can.”<\/p>\n

Kunze is a former member of the ISHOF Advisory Board and is the leading producer of high diving shows in the country, according to his website<\/a>. He has won eight World Championships in high diving and has broken the world record for the highest dive ever done seven times. His last world record of 172 feet had surpassed 35 million hits on YouTube and is still recognized as the legitimate world record after 35 years.<\/p>\n

Dana Kunze began his professional High Diving career at the age of 13. After being trained by world record holder John Tobler<\/strong>, Dana joined a crew of professional high divers on the boardwalk in Wildwood, New Jersey.<\/p>\n

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World record attempt at ISHOF. Photo Courtesy: Dana Kunze<\/p><\/div>\n

Kunze was a fast learner and after three short summers of show diving, he became the youngest professional diver at age 16 to dive off of the Famed Cliffs of Acapulco. The dive was featured on ABC Television\u2019s Wide World of Sports and started a decade of appearances on sports programming.<\/p>\n

In 1985 after a decade of competing on ABC Wide World of Sports and performing thousands of live shows, Dana Kunze opened Watershow Productions Incorporated and with the same determination that made him an 8-time world champion, he created new shows and incorporated original \u201cthemes\u201d into what had previously been a standard style of show.<\/p>\n

Kunze\u2019s one of a kind expertise with heights and stunts would become even more valuable when he and Tom Sailor<\/strong> created the World\u2019s First Bungee Diving show –\u00a0 \u201cBungee Dive Spectacular.\u201d Their creation would be featured all over the world and spinoff the popular rides \u201cSkycoaster\u201d and \u201cThe Catapult\u201d seen at most Amusement Parks and State Fairs today.<\/p>\n

Kunze now spends most of his time producing, creating, coaching and selling the shows, but he still dives from time to time. He was inducted into the World Acrobatic Society\u2019s Gallery of Legends in a Las Vegas celebration in 2011 and competed on America\u2019s Got Talent with a 10 performer team of divers in 2013! Dana will be producing new television and World Record Breaking Events in 2018 and on our 33rd<\/sup>\u00a0anniversary it is our mission to provide the shows that our buyers want back again and again!<\/p>\n

Dana Kunze’s world record dive:<\/p>\n