Health
Florida Navy veteran breaks record living underwater 74 days
Dituri, a Navy veteran known as Dr. Deepsea on social media, believes that his health will improve because of the compression his body experiences underwater
May 15, 2023 9:01am
Updated: May 15, 2023 9:01am
A Florida man just broke the record for the longest time spent living underwater on Saturday but plans to keep going.
Joseph Dituri, a university professor, has spent 74 days living at Jules’ Undersea Lodge, a research lab located 30 feet underwater in a lagoon in Key Largo, Florida.
The previous record for the longest time spent living underwater was set in 2014 by two professors from Tennessee who spent 73 days and 34 minutes underwater in the same location. Dituri not only beat their record but plans to make it to 100 days underwater. He plans to return to the surface on June 9.
"Today I broke the world record for living underwater. The curiosity for discovery has led me here," he tweeted. "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."
At the Undersea Lodge, Dituri has been researching how the human body reacts to the pressure of living underwater for long periods as part of Project Neptune 100, a mission that was organized by the Marine Resources Development Foundation to study.
Dituri, a Navy veteran known as Dr. Deepsea on social media, believes that his health will improve because of the compression his body experiences underwater.
“The idea here is to populate the world’s oceans, to take care of them by living in them and really treating them well,” Dituri said.
While underwater, Dutiru is teaching his biomedical engineering class online, exercising daily, and eating protein-heavy meals. He has received visits from more than 30 adults and 15 students at the undersea lodge in the past 74 days, according to the Florida Keys News Bureau.
While the professor has been happy living underwater, he does miss the sun.
"The thing that I miss the most about being on the surface is literally the sun," Dituri said.
