US Researcher Breaks Record for Time Spent Living Underwater

Joseph Dituri has spent over 74 days at the bottom of a 30-foot-deep lagoon in Key Largo, Florida. And he has no intentions of slowing down anytime soon. He announced on Sunday that he would be staying at Jules’ Undersea Lodge for at least 100 days, setting a new record for the longest time living underwater.

“The curiosity for discovery has led me here,” he said.

“My goal from day one has been to inspire generations to come, interview scientists who study life undersea and learn how the human body functions in extreme environments,” he added.

The previous record for the most days spent living underwater at ambient pressure – 73 – was set in 2014 in the same Key Largo lodge by two professors. The lodge, unlike a submarine, does not require technology to compensate for the higher underwater pressure.

Prof Dituri, also known as Dr Deep Sea, began his voyage on March 1st at Jules’ Undersea Lodge, a modest room at the bottom of a lagoon in the Florida Keys. It is named after Jules Verne, the author of the well-known science-fiction novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

The University of South Florida professor is examining how the human body reacts to long-term exposure to severe pressure for the experiment, dubbed experiment Neptune 100.

However, his time spent underwater has not prevented him from doing his professorial obligations. According to the University of South Florida, Prof Dituri, who previously served in the Navy for 28 years, is teaching biomedical engineering classes online while living in the lagoon.

While his undersea stay has been groundbreaking, he is eager to resume his above-ground activities.

“The thing that I miss the most about being on the surface is literally the sun,” he told the Associated Press.