Born on January 16, 1985, in Çanakkale, Turkey, Şahika Ercümen has not only pushed the boundaries of human endurance but has also shattered records in the process. Known for her extraordinary feats as a freediver and underwater hockey player, she's also made her mark as a dedicated nutrition and dietetics scholar at Başkent University.
Ercümen began her odyssey into the deep in 2006 when she broke the Turkish record at the Freediving World Championships in Tenerife, Spain. From that moment on, she embarked on an unparalleled journey, setting a new record in 2007 at the dynamic apnea Turkish Championship, covering 145.35 meters on a single breath.
Despite a significant injury at the European Freediving Championship in 2008, Ercümen showed her unyielding spirit, securing third place with the Turkish Underwater Hockey National Team and fourth place individually. This trajectory of success continued unabated, leading her to break national records, inching closer to world records in 2010.
Ercümen's 2011 achievements were groundbreaking. She demolished both the men's and women's world records for under-ice horizontal diving in Austria's Weissensee region, covering a staggering 110 meters on one breath. Later that year, she broke two CMAS world records in Egypt's Dahab for constant weight diving and diving without fins.
In 2014, Ercümen turned the Turkish town of Kaş into a global spotlight when she descended to 91 meters without fins, setting a new CMAS world record. The following day, she did it again, setting another world record by diving to 72 meters in the freediving category with rope support.
Beyond her athletic achievements, Ercümen is also a symbol of peace and remembrance. She dived to the 24-meter depth of the British warship Majestic in Çanakkale to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers on the centenary of the Battle of Gallipoli. She dived again in Çanakkale on Anzac Day, joining Australian and New Zealander athletes in a silent message of peace beneath the waves. In June 2015, she dived to the wreckage of the Ottoman ship Ertuğrul that sank 125 years earlier near Kushimoto, Japan, in a gesture of respect and commemoration.
Ercümen's pursuit of record-breaking continued in 2016 when she dove to 110 meters in the variable weight category with fins in Kaş, Antalya, setting another CMAS-approved world record. She dedicated this record to the fallen heroes of her country, showing her support for the 'Children of Turquoise' project for the children of martyrs. With this feat, she became the deepest-diving human underwater. Two days later, she broke another record, diving 93 meters without fins in honor of the 93rd anniversary of the Turkish Republic.
On March 22, 2021 - World Water Day, she dived into the Komrat Lake in the Gagauz Autonomous Region of Moldova. On October 26, 2021, she broke another world record, diving to 100 meters without fins in the variable weight category in Kaş, Antalya.
As of 2023, Şahika Ercümen, the mermaid of the deep, continues to amaze the world with her unyielding spirit and formidable athleticism. She shattered the Turkish record at the World Freediving Cup in the Bahamas, diving 100 meters in 3 minutes and 14 seconds. This feat also made her the first Turkish athlete, male or female, to reach a depth of 100 meters with constant weight. In this journey, she continues to inspire and ignite the spirit of resilience and adventure, exploring the uncharted depths of our world.