| Yasemin Dalkılıç | |
| Birth Date: | 2 May 1979 |
| Birth Place: | Ankara, Turkey |
| Occupation: | Free-diver |
| Alma Mater: | Middle East Technical University, Ankara |
| Nationality: | Turkish |
Yasemin Dalkılıç (born 2 May 1979) is a Turkish female free diver who has broken 8 World Records in the sport of freediving. She was known to be the 5th female world champion in this sport and broke the first official world record after the Constant Ballast No Fins category was introduced to the sport with a dive to 40 meters. Her deepest record in constant ballast with fins is 68 meters, limited variable ballast is 106 meters and 120 meters in No Limits category.
Yasemin Dalkılıç was born and grew up in Ankara, Turkey, some 270km (170miles) away from the nearest coast.[1] At age 14, she was a member of the national monofin finswimming team, where she stayed for several years and set several Turkish records. By the time she was 16, she had established herself as the best freediver in her country. In 1996, she started as a student in the mathematics department at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, where she became a member of the Subaqua Society.
In 1998 Dalkılıç competed in the Freediving World Cup in Sardinia, Italy, where she clinched the first place among the women.[1] A year later, in 1999, Yasemin made an acquaintance that would change her life. International trainer Rudi Castineyra, who would guide world champions Alejandro Ravelo, Tanya Streeter and David Lee to several world records, showed great interest in her.[1]
Yasemin started a training regime designed by Rudi Castineyra. Under his guidance she set her first world record with a dive to 68m (223feet).[1] In 2000 the duo set their sights on variable ballast freediving, which comprises two categories. On 19 and 23 July Dalkılıç beat the existing world records in the limited and unlimited variable ballast categories by reaching 100m (300feet) and 120m (390feet) respectively.
In 2001, she set two more world records. First improving her own mark in the limited variable ballast with a 105m (344feet) dive in Egypt and three months later, a second one in the unassisted constant ballast category, with a dive to 40m (130feet) in Kaş, Antalya Province, Turkey.