Royal Caribbean's AquaTheater is one of the most unique entertainment venues at sea. Dancers and divers alike captivate the minds of audience members performing an array of synchronized dancers and daring feats.
One performer, Ginni van Katwijk, took to social media to give a behind-the-scenes look into the adrenaline-fueled stunts that high divers perform onboard some of the world's largest cruise ships.
Katwijk is currently on Harmony of the Seas, the world's fourth-largest cruise ship. At one point, it was the largest in the world until Symphony of the Seas made its debut. Now, the title is held by Icon of the Seas.
At the beginning of the video, Katwijk gives viewers an overview of the pool, pointing at the deck and center lift. "Just like normal," she says as she prepares for her dive, "easy peasy."
She raises her arms, takes a deep breath, and leaps off the diving board into the 17-foot pool. She glides through the air with such grace that she makes the otherwise seemingly terrifying jump appear effortless.
The dive was recorded from multiple different angles. The first showed her jumping from the top of the board, with the second positioned from a lower diving platform. The third showed what passengers would see sitting in the theater. No matter how you view Katwijk's dive, each angle shows an impressive and talented performer!
As Katwijk surfaced, cheers from passengers could be heard, which isn't all that surprising. Since the video was posted in late March, it has amassed over one million views.
The majority of the comments applaud her bravery
"My whole heart dropped for her!" wrote dominiquebroadway.
idopimienta said that they wouldn't even be brave enough to climb the ladder.
"I screamed, 'DONT DO IT!!!', commented jazpics, "Lordt im glad she made it lol."
AquaTheater pools can be adjusted to around 17 feet to safely accommodate high-diving performances
In a separate video, Katwijk explains how deep the pool is. Though it's 17 feet deep, the bottom platform, which doubles as the stage for dancers, takes up about 3 feet of space underwater, leaving divers with 14 feet to dive into.
"YES," she captioned the video, "we touch the bottom every time when we come from the high dive!"
Guests are not allowed to swim or dive in the AquaTheater pool; it's reserved for well-trained professionals. Thankfully, Oasis Class ships have numerous other pools for passengers to enjoy.
Moreover, each Oasis Class ship has a unique AquaTheater show. Onboard Symphony of the Seas, for instance, the show is titled "Hiro," whereas the one onboard Allure of the Seas is "Oceanaria." Guests sailing onboard the brand-new Utopia of the Seas will be able to watch "Aqua 80 Too," a follow-up to "Aqua 80" that first debuted on Oasis of the Seas.
Those looking for a truly one-of-a-kind suite can splurge on one overlooking the AquaTheater. In addition to the perks that accompany booking a cabin in Royal Caribbean's Royal Suite Class, you won't have to worry about reserving seats. Your balcony will function as a private viewing deck.
This isn't the first time AquaTheater performers have filmed their impressive stunts
In early 2017, Sydney Brown filmed Cesilie Carlton making the same jump as Katwijk while Harmony of the Seas was at sea. The video begins in a similar fashion, with Carlton raising her arms and preparing to jump. At the time, Harmony was the largest cruise ship in the world.
The video has received nearly 3 million views and similar comments.
"😮 OMG I would never do this," wrote cherry.hamilton, "I would go deaf if it happened."
"You can't pay me enough. She is brave," said wayne215world.
"Around the outside of a beautiful production is controlled chaos"
The only way AquaTheater shows can happen is because there's an incredible level of trust between everyone involved, from the divers to the stage managers.
It's crucial that performers be able to hear instructions at all times, so Royal Caribbean outfitted the AquaTheater pool with an underwater speaker. In addition to auditory cues, there's also a traffic light system that lets divers know when it's safe to jump.
Though it may look like magic to the audience, there are a lot of moving parts that enable these amazing shows to happen.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school. She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer.
