Yasemin Dalkılıç

World record holder of free diving. She was born on the 2nd of May 1979 in Ankara. Her first encounter with sea and free diving has been at the ages of 3-4 when she started to learn to swim. She could only satisfy her passion by watching Jacques Cousteau documents and playing underwater games at home in the place she lived in, kilometers away from sea. During her summer holidays in Muğla/Datça with her family, she spent all her time diving and in this way her diving passion survived.

After starting her certified sports life at the age of ten, she joined the monofin team (National Fin Swimming) at the age of fourteen. She represented her country twice in the World Championship and once in the European Championship. She held various Turkey records for several years. She was one of the best free divers of her country at the age of sixteen.

She entered Middle East Technical University’s Mathematics Department in 1996. As a result of her exercises with ODTÜ-SAT Free Diving Group she represented Turkish National Team in International Free Diving Championship in 1998 and had the best degree among women.

After one year, in 1999 she took the step which would change her life. Rudi Castineyra who is a globally recognized trainer and who has discovered and coached various world record holders heard about Yasemin and was impressed by her potential. Next to their first encounter through Internet, Castineyra regularly sent Yasemin training programs which increased her potential in a short time. Yasemin Dalkılıç within the same year dived to 68 meters in the most difficult discipline of free diving and broke the world record.

In 2000, Dalkılıç added two more to her existing records. She dived to 100 and 120 meters in the most recognized disciplines of free diving which are limited and unlimited variable ballast categories. Dalkılıç later dived to 105 meters in Egypt in limited various ballast category and to 40 meters in Greece in constant weight without fins category. With these world records she managed to promote to a very exclusive group in the world.

After starting her professional free diving career, she realized numerous social projects in order to share her passion with everyone which made it possible for her to reach her aims she regarded as “beyond her dreams” and in order to show everyone what things could be achieved with passion. She gave seminars to children in schools and to university students during their career choice process. She realized with Berna Belgin “the first disabled free diving record” in order to spread the message that any obstacle can be overcome with passion. She organized activities in remembrance of sponge fishermen who are fathers of diving. Courses and seminars she organized with the purpose of introducing free diving and keeping it safe and activities to protect the sea she conducted together with Deniz Temiz Association are among these projects. Yasemin Dalkılıç also gave seminars in company meetings, educational works and club meetings about “Goal Setting and Reaching” and “The Story of a Success: Way to the Record”.

Yasemin Dalkılıç is the holder of the following records: 68 m Constant Weight (7 November 1999), 120 m Unlimited Variable Ballast, 100 m and 96 m Limited Variable Ballast (Her record of 120 meters made her the female diver who has dived to the deepest 23, 19 and 14 July 2000), 105 m Unlimited Variable Ballast (15 July 2001), 40 m Constant Weight without Fins (22 October 2001).