Turkish freediver Sahika Ercumen has broken her own world record in the CMAS Variable Weight No Fins category with a 107m dive that she used to demonstrate her solidarity with the people of Gaza.
In VWT-NF the diver descends using a weighted sled but must swim back to the surface without fins. CMAS recognises the discipline in both competition and for individual world record attempts, though it is not reflected among AIDA records because of safety concerns.
Ercumen carried out her dive off the Mediterranean resort of Kas in Türkiye’s Antalya province on 17 October, breaking her previous record by 1m.
Her dive took 3min, 21sec and afterwards she and her team displayed Palestinian as well as Turkish flags and the breath-hold-related slogan “Let Gaza Breathe, Let The Darkness Turn To Light”.
“Everything was down to the wire,” Ercumen told news agency Anadolu. “I think my heart-rate was around 120 when I went in. But now I feel like a huge weight has been lifted.
“I’m overwhelmed with emotion because not only did we bring a world record to Türkiye, but we also managed to deliver a message from our country to the whole world. I now hope that this peace process becomes permanent.”
The freediver’s previous 106m VWT-NF record had been set on the same day in 2023 off Hatay, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic. Canadian diver William Winram set the male VWT-NF world record at 140m in Egypt that same year.
🤣 The worthless virtue signalling couldnt get funnier
And their bellies were immediately full and Hamas no longer dug up the water pipes for launching rockets. Way to go
World record? Please!!!