La Quebrada

The cliff divers of La Quebrada have been performing since the 1930s, and the act has never needed updating. A diver climbs the rock face opposite the viewing platforms, prays at a small shrine to the Virgin at the top, waits - and this is the whole trick - for a swell to surge into the narrow inlet below, then launches into a dive of some 35 metres into water that may be only a few metres deep in the trough between waves. Mistiming means rock. Several divers perform in each show, four or five times daily, with the last dives after dark done holding lit torches, and the applause from the platform, the hotel terrace above and the boats bobbing offshore is the town's oldest reliable ritual. Divers belong to a professional association, train from childhood in local families, and are paid largely from ticket sales and the collection afterwards. Acapulco's fortunes have swung dramatically over the decades and hurricanes have battered the city, but the divers have kept jumping.

What you actually see

• The climb and the shrine - divers ascending and praying at the top.
• The wait - reading the swell for the moment.
• The dive - 35 metres into the surging inlet.
• The torch dives - the after-dark finale.

When to go

Evening shows for the atmosphere and the torch dives; afternoon shows are quieter. Times are posted daily - arrive early for a front rail place.

Honest expectations

The viewing platform fills fast and sightlines matter; the hotel terrace charges more for a better angle. Photography needs a fast shutter and luck. Tips for the divers after the show are customary and deserved.

Nearby

Acapulco's old town, the zocalo and the San Diego fort are a short walk east.