Florida professor breaks record for living under water for longest time

A university professor from Florida has broken the world record for living under water for 74 days.

Dr Joseph Dituri, a medical researcher, spent his 74th day on Saturday, living in the Jules Undersea Lodge as part of an experiment called 'Project Neptune 100.'

Thelodge is situated at the bottom of a 30-foot-deep lagoon in Key Largo, Florida. And he has no plans to come out of the undersea lodge just yet.

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The previous record was of 73 days, two hours and 34 minutes and it was set by two Tennessee professors, Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain, at the same location in 2014.

During his stay, Dituri, who also goes by the name “Dr Deep Sea,” was studying how the human body reacts to living under extreme pressure for long periods of time.

Unlike a submarine, the lodge does not use technology to adjust for the increased underwater pressure.

“And he's not just learning about himself — he's also still teaching his biomedical engineering class online,” the University of South Florida (USF) said in a statement.

As part of his daily routine, he would exercise with resistance bands, do his daily pushups and take an hour-long nap. To sustain himself, he would satiate on a protein-heavy meal of eggs and salmon prepared using a microwave.

The ‘Project Neptune 100’, the underwater mission participated by Dituri, is organised by the Marine Resources Development Foundation.

The project aims to use the uniqueness of the study's location to bring awareness to marine research and conservation efforts, according to the foundation. The project also studies the impact of compression on the body.

Dituri believes that his health will improve because of the increased pressure underwater.

"The curiosity for discovery has led me here. 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," he tweeted early on Sunday.

He had served in the Navy for nearly three decades and left to learn more about traumatic brain injuries.

Though he loves living under the ocean, there is one thing he really misses.

“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,” AP news agency quoted him as saying.

(With inputs from agencies)

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