Turkish Diver Şahika Ercümen: Free Diving

Şahika Ercümen is a Turkish diver who broke the 100-meter record in variable weight freediving without breathing equipment.

This article was featured in the yachting magazine Numarine Insight.

Freediving is an excellent way to connect with the sea and delve into the depths of the ocean with minimal impact. Some individuals do it for the challenge, but for many, the main appeal of freediving is the solitude and calm it brings to the fast pace of life. Freedivers merge seamlessly with the world underwater in complete silence. They have beautiful encounters with timid marine life and hear all the noises of the ocean, including fish chewing on coral, the tide throbbing at the rocks, and even dolphin and whale sounds.

Turkish Athlete and free-diver Şahika Ercümen is one of those who participate in freediving as a competitive discipline. Her participation in underwater sports began with scuba diving and underwater rugby. For twelve years, she pursued various branches of underwater sports, and has been a member of four national teams since 2001. In October 2021, she set an astounding new world record in variable weight freediving.

This discipline utilizes added weight to take the diver to depth, and where the diver returns to the surface under their own steam, finning and also using the arms to pull on a rope. While not a competition discipline, there are national and world records set in it and it is frequently used to practice equalization and constant weight with fins diving.

As for Ercümen’s attempt at another world record, with a single breath, she was able dive to a depth of 100 meters, in just two minutes and 53 seconds with no additional breathing equipment. This is only a recent addition to the resume of the decorated athlete. An ambassador for underwater life with the United Nations Development Program, Ercümen recently won three medals and broken five Turkish records in the 2021 Vertical Blue freediving competition at Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas.

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