Birgül Erken Finds Meaning In The Silence Beneath The Surface

Photo: World champion freediver Birgül Erken shares reflections on silence, resilience, art, and life beyond records in an exclusive interview with Mosaic Digest magazine.

“At Depth, There Is No Language”

World champion freediver Birgül Erken reflects on discipline, silence, literature, photography, resilience, and legacy, revealing how depth, art, and inner clarity shaped her extraordinary journey beneath the surface.

G  reatness is often measured by medals, records, and victories, but true greatness reveals itself in the ability to transform discipline into meaning, strength into grace, and silence into inspiration. Birgül Erken embodies all of these qualities with extraordinary depth. As a world champion, world record holder, educator, artist, and storyteller, she represents a rare fusion of physical mastery and intellectual sophistication that transcends the boundaries of sport itself.

For more than fifteen years, Erken has carried the Turkish flag across international waters with remarkable courage and consistency, becoming not only one of the most accomplished figures in freediving, but also a symbol of resilience and inner clarity. Her achievements in disciplines traditionally associated with raw physical endurance have redefined expectations, proving that mental focus, emotional intelligence, and refined technique can surpass even the harshest limitations. Yet what makes her truly exceptional is not merely how deep she dives beneath the surface of the sea, but how deeply she explores the human spirit itself.

Raised in the fierce currents of Çanakkale, the ancient land of Troy, Birgül Erken developed a philosophy shaped equally by struggle and serenity. Her journey through literature, photography, teaching, motherhood, and elite athletics reflects a life devoted to continuous growth and multidimensional excellence. Every aspect of her story speaks to discipline with purpose, ambition with humility, and strength guided by wisdom.

At Mosaic Digest magazine, we are honored to present this exclusive conversation with Birgül Erken, a woman whose voice carries the calm authority of someone who has learned to negotiate with fear, embrace silence, and emerge from the depths with profound insight. In this interview, she speaks not only about world records and underwater endurance, but also about art, identity, stillness, legacy, and the search for meaning beneath life’s surface.

Her words remind us that the deepest journeys are not always measured in meters, but in awareness, courage, and presence.

Birgül Erken embodies courage, intelligence, artistry, and discipline, inspiring generations through world-class achievements and profound human depth.

You mentioned that the strong currents of your hometown, Çanakkale (Troy), shaped your strength. How does training in such a “battlefield” environment change your mental approach when you dive in calmer, competitive waters?

I grew up in Çanakkale. The sea there is never calm. The currents are strong and unpredictable—almost like a constant challenge. Training there shaped me. It taught me not to fight the water, but to understand it.

When I dive in calmer waters, I don’t relax more, I become more precise. Because inside me, there is always that memory of resistance. Çanakkale gave me a “battlefield mindset,” but diving taught me how to transform that into calm focus.

Highlights from the interview

• Becoming Turkey’s only World Champion in official freediving disciplines
• Training in the powerful currents of Çanakkale and developing a “battlefield mindset”
• Surpassing men’s records in several sea disciplines
• Combining elite sports with a career in literature education
• Exploring the connection between ocean depth and literary depth
• Describing freediving as a space beyond language and ego
• Using photography and underwater recordings to improve technique
• Turning dives into visual storytelling and artistic composition
• Finding emotional strength and healing through freediving
• Teaching discipline, calmness, and consistency to her son
• Planning new world record attempts and social responsibility projects
• Focusing on legacy, mentorship, and inspiring young athletes

In several water disciplines, your records have even surpassed the men’s categories. In a sport often defined by lung capacity and physical power, what allows you to overcome traditional gender barriers in your technique or mindset?

Freediving is often described through physical limits, but I believe the real essence is awareness. Technique and mindset matter far more than brute strength.

“Training there shaped me. It taught me not to fight the water, but to understand it.”

I never saw myself competing against men or women. I compete with the version of myself that doubts. When you shift from “proving” to “understanding,” limits begin to dissolve.

You come from a lineage of Balkan wrestlers. When you are deep underwater and facing the urge to breathe, how does that “warrior spirit” manifest?

Maybe I do carry a certain resilience from that lineage… but underwater, strength is not loud. It is quiet.

When the urge to breathe comes, it is not a fight, it becomes a negotiation with your own mind. That “warrior spirit” turns into the ability to remain soft in a moment where everything inside you wants to react.

As a scholar of Turkish Language and Literature, do you find a connection between the “depth” of a text and the “depth” of the ocean? Does your academic background help you understand the silence of the deep?

Absolutely. The depth of literature and the depth of the ocean are deeply connected. Both require patience, silence, and the courage to go beyond the surface.

“At depth, there is no language.”

My background in literature taught me to see layers—meaning is never on the surface. Just like in diving, the deeper you go, the more honest everything becomes.

Freediving is a silent sport. At your maximum depth, is your inner world filled with words, or is it a place of complete silence?

At depth, there is no language.

Sometimes there is a feeling, maybe a rhythm… but no words. It is a space where everything unnecessary disappears. And that silence—it is not empty. It is full.

You maintained your professional sports career while working as a literature teacher. What did your students learn from watching their teacher break world records, and what did you learn from them?

My students saw that dreams are not abstract—they are real. They witnessed discipline in real life.

And I learned from them to stay curious. Teaching kept me grounded. Diving made me strong, but teaching made me human.

You studied Photography and Camera Techniques. Do you still “frame” the world underwater without a camera? How has being a photographer influenced your diving?

Yes, I still frame the world underwater, even without a camera.

Photography taught me how to see moments, not just perform them. It transformed my dives into a form of storytelling. Every dive has a composition, a rhythm, a beginning, and an end.

At the same time, photography has had a strong technical impact on my diving.

Because I record and review every training session through photos and videos—including underwater footage, I can objectively observe myself. This has significantly accelerated my development.

I usually prefer phones that can shoot photos and videos underwater. It allows me to move more practically and quickly. I cannot always use my professional equipment because it is heavy, and I need to stay in flow and act fast. Having these capabilities on my phone gives me great flexibility.

After training, I analyze my recordings, identify areas of my technique that need improvement, and take steps toward refining them further.

This mindset, along with my training and skills, has continuously helped me progress technically.

For me, photography is not only an art, it is also a powerful tool that improves my performance and simplifies my process.

If you had to describe the “color” or “composition” of a world record dive through your photographer’s eye, what would it look like?

There is a white line stretching under the ice. But it is not alone, inside the ice, sharp shades of grey move with it, almost like a quiet dance.

Underwater, the colors change in layers. Near the ice, the blues become deeper and more intense. As you go down, that blue slowly shifts into a yellowish green.

It feels like being inside an oil painting. The lines around and above me appear in yellow, almost fluorescent tones… The safety divers and underwater photographers appear as dark silhouettes, balancing the black within the composition.

When people walk on the ice, their shadows fall across it, creating tones between grey and soft green. These shadows stretch, and with the sunlight filtering through the ice, soft, diffused reflections move gently underwater.

There is human effort in that space, lines, systems, safety, the judges walking above… everything becomes a symphony, interwoven.

And at the center of it, I am there, in my bright blue suit. With dolphin kicks and long glides, I move as the subject of this composition, in an effortless effort—because to preserve oxygen, every movement must be precise and efficient, yet performed without exhausting myself.

With one breath, I focus entirely on the guideline in front of me. My body and mind are aligned. I catch the rhythm of my fin kicks and move forward with efficiency toward the record.

This is not just a dive, it is a composition, a moment, a state of wholeness.

You have navigated major life transitions. How did freediving support you through these periods?

Freediving became my anchor.

Life changes, relationships end, roles shift—but underwater, I always found myself again. It reminded me that strength comes not from external stability, but from inner clarity.

What is the most important lesson about discipline that you passed on to your son?

The most important thing I taught him is this: discipline is not about forcing yourself, it is about showing up consistently, even when no one is watching.

And also… learning how to stay calm under pressure. That is a skill beyond sport.

Have you ever felt that you discovered the ultimate meaning of life during a dive?

Yes:)

There are moments underwater when time disappears. You are not thinking about the past or the future, you are simply there.

In those moments, life feels complete, not because you achieved something, but because you are fully present.

 As a storyteller and educator, what is the most important “chapter” you are writing in your life right now? What is next for Birgül Erken?

The chapter I am writing now is about sharing.

For years, I have pushed my own limits. Now I want to build something bigger than myself, projects, young athletes, and stories that inspire.

The next goal is not just another record. It is about creating a legacy that helps others believe in their own depth.

Of course, this year I have several record attempts planned, including a new world record. But alongside that, I will continue strengthening my role as an instructor and inspiring young people through project-based work.

As an active national athlete, I may not always have time for consistent teaching, but I plan to dedicate part of my year to social responsibility projects and reaching more people in a meaningful way.