Şahika Ercümen

Şahika Ercümen — Biography

Şahika Ercümen is a national athlete and dietitian known for many CMAS-recognised world records in freediving. In 2011 she swam 110 meters horizontally under ice on one breath in Austria, setting a world record for both women and men, in 2016 she dived to 110 meters depth, and in July 2026 she became Turkish champion with a 68-metre dive.

Born in Çanakkale, she graduated from the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Başkent University and began a master's degree at the same university. Since 2001 she has been in the national underwater hockey, underwater rugby, underwater orienteering and freediving teams; in 2008 she was European third with the underwater hockey team and fourth at the freediving European Championship. She set Turkish records at the world championship in Tenerife in 2006 and with 145.35 meters in the METU pool in 2007, and became Turkish champion in 2009.

Her world records began with 70 and 60 meters in Dahab in 2011; she reached 61 meters in Lake Van in 2013 and 91 meters at Kaş in 2014, the year Milliyet named her Sportsperson of the Year. In 2018 she dived to 65 meters in fresh water at Lake Salda, in 2019 she became the first Turkish woman athlete to dive in Antarctica, and she reached 100 meters in 2021 and 107 meters in October 2025. In 2017 she competed in the Celebrities team of Survivor on Tv8. She holds an international freediving instructor license.