A university professor this weekend broke the record for the longest time living underwater without depressurizing in a Florida Keys scuba diver lodge.
Joseph Dituri's 74th day residing at Jules' Undersea Lodge, located at the bottom of a 9-meter-deep lagoon in Key Largo, was not much different from his previous days since he submerged on March 1.
Dituri, also known as "Dr. Deep Sea," ingested a protein-rich dish with eggs and salmon prepared in the microwave, then exercised with elastic bands, did his daily push-ups and took an hour-long nap.
Unlike a submarine, the lodge does not use technology to adapt to increased underwater pressure.
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The previous record of 73 days, two hours and 34 minutes was set by two Tennessee teachers — Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain — at the same location in 2014.
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But Dituri isn't settling for the record: He plans to stay at the lodge until June 9, when he reaches 100 days and completes an underwater mission called Project Neptune 100.
The mission combines medical and ocean research with educational outreach, and has been organized by the Marine Resources Development Foundation, which owns the facility.
"The record is a small boost and I really appreciate it," said Dituri, a University of South Florida educator, doctor of biomedical engineering and retired U.S. Navy officer. "It's an honor to have him, but we still have a lot of scientific work to do."
His research includes daily physiology experiments to monitor how the human body responds to prolonged exposure to extreme pressures.
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"The idea is to populate the world's oceans, take care of them by living in them and treat them really well," Dituri said.
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The outreach portion of Dituri's mission includes teaching online classes and broadcasting interviews from his digital studio under the sea. Over the past 74 days, he has reached more than 2,500 students through online marine science classes and many more have watched his regular biomedical engineering courses at the University of South Florida.
Although he says he loves living under the ocean, there is one thing he misses.
"What I miss most about being on the surface is literally the sun. The sun has been an important factor in my life: I usually go to the gym at five and then go back out and see the sunrise," says Dituri.
With information from The Associated Press