Florida Professor Breaks Record For Time Spent Living Underwater

An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: A US researcher has broken the record for the longest time spent living underwater without depressurization. Joseph Dituri has spent more than 74 days at the bottom of a 30ft-deep lagoon in Key Largo, Florida. And he does not have plans to stop yet. On Sunday, he said he would stay in Jules' Undersea Lodge for at least 100 days.

'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 most days spent living underwater at ambient pressure -- 73 -- was established by two professors in 2014 in the same Key Largo lodge. Unlike a submarine, the lodge does not use technology to adjust for the increased underwater pressure.

Prof Dituri -- who also served in the Navy for 28 years -- is teaching his biomedical engineering classes online while he lives in the lagoon, according to the University of South Florida. To keep busy, the professor wakes up at 05:00 each day to exercise. He stays full by reportedly eating protein-heavy meals such as eggs and salmon that he can keep warm with his microwave. And while his underwater stay has proven ground-breaking, he is excited to get back to some above-ground activities. 'The thing that I miss the most about being on the surface is literally the sun,' he told the Associated Press.

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