# Rick Charls (DD-742) > In 1983, ABC's Wide World of Sports staged its last World Record High Dive at SeaWorld San Diego. To count, a dive had to include at least one somersault, and the diver had to leave the water without help. Five divers succeeded from 172 ft (52.4 m): Rick Charls, Rick Winters, Dana Kunze, Bruce Boccia and Mike Foley, and all five share credit for the record. Charls, from Cincinnati, was a collegiate All-American at Ohio University and the 1980 world tandem high-diving champion. - Department: People (also History) - First published: 2026-09-19 - Last updated: 2026-09-19 - Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/rick-charls/ - Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department ## Status as of Oct. 18, 2026 Former American high diver. Still one of five divers credited with the 172 ft (52.4 m) dive record from 1983. No recent public reporting on him was found. ## On the timeline - **1980**: Rick Charls is the world tandem high-diving champion - **1983**: ABC's Wide World of Sports stages its last World Record High Dive at SeaWorld San Diego - **1985**: Randy Dickison dives from 172 ft in Hong Kong but breaks his femur - **1987**: Olivier Favre breaks his back attempting 177 ft - **2015**: Laso Schaller leaps from a 193 ft cliff, counted as a jump, not a dive Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=rick-charls ## Quick facts - **DD-742-F01**: Five divers share credit for the 172 ft world record from 1983. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (The event))_ - **DD-742-F02**: Valid dives needed a somersault and an unassisted exit from the water. _(Write-up · Exhibit B (The rules))_ ## Write-up A 172-foot dive at SeaWorld San Diego in 1983. Charls was one of five divers credited with the 172 ft dive. 1. **The event**: ABC's Wide World of Sports produced world-record high dives for more than a decade. Its last was staged in 1983 at SeaWorld San Diego, in front of thousands of spectators at the park and a TV audience of millions. 2. **The rules**: To count, a diver had to dive or perform at least one somersault, then exit the water without help. 3. **Five record holders**: Rick Charls, Rick Winters, Dana Kunze, Bruce Boccia and Mike Foley all completed dives from 172 ft (52.4 m), and all five are credited with the record. 4. **Later attempts**: In 1985 Randy Dickison dove from 172 ft in Hong Kong but broke his femur and couldn't leave the water unaided. In 1987 Olivier Favre broke his back attempting 177 ft. Laso Schaller's 2015 leap from a 193 ft cliff is considered a jump, not a dive. 5. **Who he is**: Charls, a Cincinnati native, was a high school and collegiate All-American and a two-time Mid-American Conference champion at Ohio University. He was the 1980 world tandem high-diving champion. ## Related case files - [Kenny POWERs (DD-740)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/kenny-powers/): Another Persons of Interest profile of a record stunt: the 1979 rocket-car jump across the St. Lawrence. - [Grass Skiing (DD-074)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/grass-skiing/): Another unusual sport with its own record history. - [Felix Falls (DD-637)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/felix-falls/): Another record-setting fall - [Air Jordan (DD-713)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/air-jordan/): Another Persons of Interest profile of an athlete's famous leap ## Reel vs. record - **Shared record**: Charls is credited jointly with Rick Winters, Dana Kunze, Bruce Boccia and Mike Foley. 'Charls is still credited with the record' reads as if he holds it alone. - **Criteria**: the competition required at least one somersault and an unassisted exit from the water. Later, higher attempts failed on the second rule (Dickison 1985, Favre 1987). - **Unverified**: I found no source for the '70 mph' entry speed. A frictionless fall from 52.4 m gives about 72 mph, so the figure is a plausible estimate rather than a measured speed. - **Missing context**: this was the last World Record High Dive that Wide World of Sports produced. Sources disagree on the month (March or May 1983). - **Missing context**: Laso Schaller's 2015 leap from 193 ft is classed as a jump, not a dive, which is why the 172 ft dive record still stands under these criteria. ## Video: Rick Charls: A 172-Foot Dive at SeaWorld San Diego in 1983 - Duration: 31.2 s · Published: 2026-09-19 - File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DdfHIpyxkrC.mp4 ### Transcript DID YOU KNOW? In 1983, high diver Rick Charls stepped onto a platform 172 ft, or 52.4 m above the water at Seaworld San Diego for ABC's Wide World of Sports World Record High Dive Challenge. Charls launched into the air, completed a dive, and hit the water at roughly 70 mph, before resurfacing under his own power. He was one of five divers who successfully completed the 172 ft-dive during the event, and Charls is still credited with the record under the competition's criteria. NOW YOU KNOW! ## Questions & answers **Q: How many divers share credit for the 172 ft record?** A: Charls, Winters, Kunze, Boccia and Foley. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Five record holders) · Wikipedia: Rick Charls (diver); TV is Cool!: The official world record high dive of 172ft (52.4m), set back in 1983)_ **Q: What did a valid dive require?** A: At least one somersault and leaving the water without help. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (The rules) · TV is Cool!: The official world record high dive of 172ft (52.4m), set back in 1983; Crewe Swim: High Diving, World Record High Dives)_ **Q: Where was the 1983 event held?** A: SeaWorld San Diego, for ABC's Wide World of Sports. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (The event) · TV is Cool!: The official world record high dive of 172ft (52.4m), set back in 1983; Crewe Swim: High Diving, World Record High Dives)_ **Q: Why didn't Randy Dickison's 1985 dive count?** A: He couldn't exit the water unaided. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Later attempts) · TV is Cool!: The official world record high dive of 172ft (52.4m), set back in 1983)_ **Q: Which university did Charls dive for?** A: He was a two-time Mid-American Conference champion there. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Who he is) · Wikipedia: Rick Charls (diver))_ ## Sources - [Wikipedia: Rick Charls (diver)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Charls_(diver)) - [TV is Cool!: The official world record high dive of 172ft (52.4m), set back in 1983](https://www.tviscool.com/2016/04/the-official-world-record-high-dive-of.html) - [Crewe Swim: High Diving, World Record High Dives](https://creweswim.com/blogs/blog/high-diving-world-record-high-dives) ## Cite this case file Easterling, Marcus. "Rick Charls." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-742, last updated Sep 19, 2026. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/rick-charls/