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

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

From Swim Chats by Shona Riddell

December 17, 2025 · 27 min · Season 1 · Episode 32

About this episode

Scott Rice discusses the Z Manu World Champs, its community impact, and the art of dive bombs.

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 website Follow the Manu World Champs on Instagram Check out Ocean Swim Fiji * Support the podcast via ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/SwimChats⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Swim Chats on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Hit 'Follow' so you don't miss an…

People in this episode

Host: Shona Riddell

Guest: Scott Rice

Topics covered

  • Z Manu World Champs
  • water sports
  • community events
  • dive bombs
  • swimming

Keywords

  • Z Manu World Champs
  • dive bomb
  • Scott Rice
  • water sports
  • Aotearoa NZ

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Z Manu World Champs, NZ Ocean Swim Series, Ocean Swim Fiji

Places: Aotearoa NZ, Gold Coast, Auckland

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