Growing up in the coastal city of Jeddah, Salma Shaker developed an early and enduring connection with the ocean. “I grew up in a family of ocean lovers and divers. I must have been a month or two when my parents introduced me to the Red Sea,” she says. What started as a hobby and some relaxing time with the fish soon blossomed into a passionate affair with freediving. “When I found freediving, everything changed. I had never known passion. But when I dived for the first time, I felt something and realised ‘is that what people feel when they say they are passionate?’ It was a really nice feeling.”
Salma Shaker is currently the deepest Arab woman in history, a prestigious title in the world of freediving. | Photo Credit: Daan Verhoeven
In 2019 Salma broke Nada Alrasheed’s record to become the deepest Saudi Woman Freediver. During that historic moment, she spent two minutes and 20 seconds 70 metres under the Red Sea on a single breath. So, how does it feel to be that deep in the ocean? “At that depth, the world becomes very quiet. Sound fades, movement slows and everything feels intimate and internal. There’s pressure, of course, but it’s the good kind of pressure. It’s as if the ocean is giving you a big hug. It reminds you how small you are and genuinely humbles you,” she replies
Shaker holds the record for the Deepest Arab Woman | Photo Credit: Daan Verhoeven
Breaking stereotypes
Salma’s presence on the world stage adds more than just metres to a scoreboard; it dismantles the stereotypes about the participation of women from the Middle East in high-stakes sport. But Salma belongs to a new generation of athletes who are rewriting history with sheer grit. She has become a living example of how the cultural landscape in her country is opening up.
Freediving is classified as an extreme sport | Photo Credit: Daan Verhoeven
“So much has changed in Saudi in the last five-seven years. I wish people understood that Saudi Arabia is full of layered, curious, driven people who are deeply connected to Nature and sport. Women are being empowered to excel in sports. It’s amazing to see this change, especially when you are a part of it,” she says.
Deeper meaning
Freediving is a sport of brutal physiological demands. At 70 metres into the ocean, the lungs are compressed to a fraction of their size, and the heart rate slows to a crawl. In that state freedivers must battle their body’s urge to breathe. But Salma rejects this theory. “You can’t fight the body; you have to listen to it and train alongside it,” she explains. “I’ve learned that panic comes from resisting sensations. When you accept them, they soften.”
The ocean reminds you how small you are and genuinely humbles you believes Shaker | Photo Credit: Daan Verhoeven
While Salma speaks of the ocean with a sense of wonder, she is under no illusion about the dangers it could pose. “Freediving is an extreme sport, and while you can get injured doing anything incorrectly, the stakes here are higher because we are in an environment we don’t fully control. The first rule is to stay humble; you can never be arrogant with the ocean. If there is even a one percent risk, you don’t do it. I always tell myself: there will always be another dive, another time.”
Last year, Shaker competed at Vertical Blue in the Bahamas, often referred to as the Wimbledon of Freediving | Photo Credit: Daan Verhoeven
Last year, Salma competed at Vertical Blue in the Bahamas, often referred to as the Wimbledon of freediving. But for now, she is looking for a different kind of depth. “It’s not only about metres anymore. I want to be a mentor for young talent and build a sustainable freediving culture in the region. Maybe even start holding competitions here for free divers from across the world.”
For Salma, the goal has shifted from personal records to a broader legacy. She is now making space for others to follow her into the blue.