Rhiannan Iffland, an Australian diving champion, wasn’t about to let outdated rules get in her way. During a visit to Austria’s adrenaline-fueled Area 47 adventure park, she threw caution to the wind and launched herself down one of Europe’s fastest and most extreme water slides, a ride strictly banned for women.
Her bold stunt didn’t just defy park regulations — it stunned the internet. The footage quickly went viral, sparking outrage, admiration, and a heated online debate. Was it reckless rebellion or a daring stand against gender restrictions?
Set in the heart of the Austrian Alps, Area 47 is known as the ultimate outdoor playground, featuring everything from bungee jumping and canyoning to cliff diving. But it was this infamous slide and one fearless woman that grabbed headlines around the world.
Rhiannan Iffland went viral for riding one of Europe's fastest waterslides that prohibits women due to the risk of injury
Image credits: rhiannan_iffland
Image credits: Wiegand Waterrides
The 32-year-old woman, a seven-time consecutive Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series champion, shared a video of herself at the top of the water slide.
In the viral clip that amassed nearly 150K views on Instagram, Rhiannan pointed at a sign that said women are not allowed to ride the water slide due to the risk of injury.
“Apparently women are not supposed to do this slide,” read the text on the clip.
The terrifying ride can send visitors on a speed of up to 50mph, according to LADbible.
“Here for a good time not a long time! Another YOLO moment,” the fearless Australian diver wrote in the caption.
Social media users shared their thoughts after watching the heart-stopping moment.
“I got the worst enema on that slide bahhaha you are brave girl,” one said while another wrote, “No women allowed- unless you are a cliff diver because then you are used to it.”
Riding down the extreme waterslide is an experience offered to visitors at the Area 47 adventure park in Austria
Image credits: rhiannan_iffland
Image credits: rhiannan_iffland
“The amount of people that don’t understand why women aren’t supposed to go on this slide is scary!” read a third comment.
Some comments were TMI, including: “Unfortunately I got a water slide enema. Peed out half the swimming pool in the toilet from my behind. I literally couldn’t stand upright after it happened. Weirdest thing I’ve ever experienced.”
“OMG I had no idea it had a name. Water slide enema, this perfectly describes what happened to me,” another wrote.
Rhiannan later said it was not her intention to look down upon the water slide’s rules and asserted that safety must always be top priority.
“It was never my intent to mock the safety regulations of this water slide,” she told news.com.au.
“A person’s safety is paramount and I am constantly weighing up any danger with my job. To suggest otherwise, is wrong,” she added.
“Here for a good time not a long time! Another YOLO moment,” the fearless Australian diver wrote in the caption of her video
Image credits: rhiannan_iffland
Image credits: rhiannan_iffland
The thrill-seeking athlete is a trailblazer in her sport of cliff diving. She took up elite trampolining at the age of 9 and eventually moved to Olympic diving, both of which she believes contributed to her cliff diving skills.
Despite having dived numerous times, the self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie said she still feels some amount of fear every single time she’s on a cliff's edge, staring down at the stretch of blue sprawling several feet away from her.
"My greatest challenge is jumping off that platform, every single time," she said in a Red Bull interview. "We take a really long break in the off-season, only training from 10m (32.8 feet). The greatest challenge is relearning everything at the beginning of the season."
When onlookers watch her dive, they see her exude confidence with a cool, calm, and composed exterior. But the diving champion admitted that it takes a great deal of physical skill and mental clarity to perform the dives.
"The higher you get and the more nervous you get, the harder it is. You’re simply trying to control what’s going on in your mind to make sure it all goes well. You have more adrenaline and there's a lot more danger up there," she said.
The self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie said it was never her intention to "mock" the safety regulations and is "constantly weighing up any danger with my job"
Image credits: rhiannan_iffland
The 32-year-old also shared that she has a process to build up “the courage to step up there and give it a shot.”
"When competing, there’s a lot of visualisation - going through the dive in your mind and preparing the mind and body for what it’s about to do," she explained.
Music, singing, and even visualizing moments that transport her to her “happy place” are part of her fear-facing process.
"It's always music blasting in my ears. I'm singing at the top of my lungs and really trying to get out a lot of emotions through that music and singing,” she told the outlet
“When I step up on the platform, I do a lot of breathing. I find myself closing my eyes imagining my niece running down the beach in her tutu, taking me to my happy place,” she continued.
The daredevil diver has more than 114K followers on Instagram, watching her inspiring journey of passion and dedication.
“Sometimes we take one step forward and take another step back. However, it is in those moments that challenge us where we find the most valuable lessons,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
“These experiences shape our character and can teach us more than we know. This is why I continue doing what I do, embracing every challenge and learning on this crazy journey,” she concluded.
How cliff diver Rhiannan Iffland became an eight-time world champion
Social media users shared their thoughts after watching the heart-stopping moment of the thrill-seeker plunging down the waterslide
