Florida scientist ‘Dr Deep Sea’ sets record for living underwater

A FLORIDA scientist has made history by breaking the record for the longest time living underwater, and he has no plans to surface any day soon.

Joseph Dituri, who also goes by “Dr. Deep Sea,” celebrated reaching 74 days underwater on Saturday in the Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, Florida. 

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Dituri, 55, has been submerged in the lodge since March 1 and plans to stay there until June 9, for a total of 100 days. 

The mission has been dubbed Project Neptune 100, and is looking to study the “physiological and psychological effects of compression on the human body,” his website details. 

It was organized by the Marine Resources Development Foundation.

The previous record for living underwater without depressurization – set at the same location – was recorded at 73 days, two hours and 34 minutes, according to the Associated Press.

Dituri, a retired U.S. Naval officer and associate professor with the University of South Florida, celebrated breaking the record via Twitter, saying his “curiosity for discovery” led him to where he is today. 

“My goal from day 1 has been to inspire generations to come, interview scientists who study life undersea and learn how the human body functions in extreme environments.”

Since living in the lodge – which is located at the bottom of a 30-foot lagoon – the scientist has kept a fairly consistent schedule. 

Reports indicate that Dituri starts his days at around 5 a.m. every day, exercises, and consumes protein heavy meals featuring eggs and salmon.

He regularly completes psychosocial, psychological, and medical assessments, and is routinely visited by a medical team that dives to the lodge to complete the tests. 

At the same time, Dituri has continued teaching online courses in marine science and biomedical engineering at the University of South Florida. 

When he first started the 100 day mission, Dituri hypothesized that he would see improvements in his health due to the increased pressure from the water. 

Specifically, he suggested that it could help increase longevity and prevent aging related diseases. 

“So, we suspect I am going to come out superhuman!” he said at the time. 

Over the weekend, Dituri said he really appreciated hitting the 74 record, but that there is still “more science to do.” 

“The idea here is to populate the world’s oceans, to take care of them by living in them and really treating them well,” he said, according to the Associated Press. 

With roughly 24 days to go, the scientist has said there is one big thing he misses about living on the surface.

“The thing that I miss the most about being on the surface is literally the sun,” Dituri said. 

“The sun has been a major factor in my life – I usually go to the gym at five and then I come back out and watch the sunrise.”