HAMPSHIRE’S World Cliff Diving champion Gary Hunt failed to make a winning first defence of his title when the 2011 series began in Easter Island.

The Southampton man was third on the Polynesian Island known across the world for its remarkable Moai statues.

Around 2,000 fans watched Colombian Orlando Duque, the nine times world champion, begin the 2011 seven-round series with victory.

Duque was beaten into second in last year’s event by Hunt, but declared his intent for a tenth title by winning by more than 40 points at Rapa Nui.

The start of the event was affected due to a possible tsunami following the Japan earthquake, but in the end no such waves reached the competitors.

Hunt admitted: “I don’t really know the reason why my dives didn’t work so well.

“The take-off felt good on both of them, although with the back twister I felt a little bit unstable because of the wind.

“Both of my entries on the back twist and the front twist were very heavy on the water which is something to take from this competition and work on before the next.

“The possible tsunami obviously affected all our preparations but these things do happen and you have to be able to deal with them.”

Hunt, who competed at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, is one of just 12 divers competing in the Red Bull-sponsored event in 2011.

On Easter Island they were all watched by the Manu Tara, one of the most important animals on the island.

This elegant bird, whose name means ‘lucky’, is rarely seen and surprised locals predicted a safe competition after spotting it.

Blessed with traditional rites, the people of Rapa Nui, who arrived on horses, bikes and boats to watch the first cliff diving competition on Easter Island soil, saw 52 three-second dives – the new competition format asking each diver to perform four dives – into the Pacific Ocean at Mataveri Otay Bay.

Hunt and his fellow competitors are next in action at the Yucatán, Mexico, on April 10.

Location of Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean