Cliff Devries is a former two-time All-American diver who was incredibly talented at the sport before he was diagnosed with a brain tumor twenty years ago. Though he received life saving surgery to have the tumor removed, the right side of his body was left paralyzed.

Cliff never let this hold him back, and he founded Upstate New York Diving back in 2006. This has since become one of the most successful diving programs in the nation. Cliff still teaches diving by giving out instructions from the side of the pool, but he desperately missed being able to dive into the water himself.

It was Cliff’s desire to get back in the water that led him to create a special birthday tradition for himself around ten years ago. Each year on his birthday, Cliff climbs the ladder at Judson Pool at Rochester Institute of Technology, walks out onto the diving board, and jumps into the water. His birthday dives have since become online sensations, inspiring people all over the world!

In 2017, Cliff’s diver son Corey helped his father out onto the board. Since half of Cliff’s body is paralyzed, disaster can sometimes strike on the board, and he fell backwards. Luckily, his son was there to catch him, and he was able to help Cliff steady himself so that he could continue with his birthday dive.

In the end, Cliff’s latest dive was a huge success! His birthday dives serve as a reminder to all that we should never let anything hold us back in life.

Check out Cliff’s birthday dive in the video below!