Scott Rice on the Z Manu World Champs, bringing people together, and the art of dive bombs episode artwork

EPISODE · Dec 17, 2025 · 27 MIN

Scott Rice on the Z Manu World Champs, bringing people together, and the art of dive bombs

from Swim Chats · host Shona Riddell

The Z Manu World Champs is now in its third year and is making a splash as a fun water sports event that brings people together. A 'manu' is a v-shaped dive bomb. It has Māori / Pasifika origins and can be performed off a bridge, wharf, diving board, jetty – even off a horse – into any body of deep water, as long as it's done safely.There are qualifying events being held around Aotearoa NZ (and on the Gold Coast) over the summer and the Grand Finals will be held in Auckland in March. Manu World Champs founder Scott Rice came on the podcast to discuss what inspired him to create this event, how they judge the best manu (splash height is important but there's an art to a good manu), and how it celebrates people, communities, and the water. Scott is a former competitive swimmer who also founded the NZ Ocean Swim Series and now runs Ocean Swim Fiji, a 'swimcation' offering three swims across five days (and zero worries).Visit the Z Manu World Champs websiteFollow the Manu World Champs on Instagram Check out Ocean Swim Fiji*Support the podcast via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/SwimChats⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Swim Chats on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hit 'Follow' so you don't miss an episode. Thanks for listening! :-)

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Scott Rice on the Z Manu World Champs, bringing people together, and the art of dive bombs

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