The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series returned to Boston for the third year in a row, with 12 men and 12 women leaping off the Seaport’s Institute of Contemporary Art building and into the Harbor.

This visit to the Seaport marked the competition’s 100th stop since it began in 2009. But Red Bull says the sport itself is significantly older.

“Cliff diving as a sport originated in the 1700s in Hawaii, when a Hawaiian chief, King Kahekili, first leapt from the holy cliffs of Kaunolo,” the company wrote. “The old Hawaiian principles of ‘mana’ and ‘pono’ — power and balance — are still upheld today.”

The event continues Saturday, according to Red Bull’s website, and is free and open to the public, though VIP viewing tickets are for sale.

A diver jumps off the Institute of Contemporary Art building during the Red Bull Cliff Diving competition Friday. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
A diver jumps off the Institute of Contemporary Art building during the Red Bull Cliff Diving competition. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

Museum goers watch as a diver jumps off the Institute of Contemporary Art building during the Red Bull Cliff Diving competition. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

Museum goers watch as divers jump off the Institute of Contemporary Art building during the Red Bull Cliff Diving competition. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)