Man in Florida sets underwater living record

Dr. Joseph Dituri, an underwater researcher, has set a new world record for the longest time living underwater at ambient pressure. He has lived in Jules' Undersea Lodge, located at the bottom of a 30-foot-deep lagoon in Key Largo, for 74 days and plans to stay until June 9, when he reaches 100 days. Dituri's mission, dubbed Project Neptune 100, combines medical and ocean research along with educational outreach and was organized by the Marine Resources Development Foundation, owner of the habitat. His research includes daily experiments in physiology to monitor how the human body responds to long-term exposure to extreme pressure. In addition, his outreach portion of the mission includes conducting online classes and broadcast interviews from his digital studio beneath the sea. During the past 74 days, he has reached over 2,500 students through online classes in marine science and more with his regular biomedical engineering courses at the University of South Florida. The previous record of 73 days, two hours and 34 minutes was set by two Tennessee professors - Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain - at the same location in 2014. Dituri's research will help to populate the world’s oceans, take care of them by living in them and treating them well. While he appreciates the record-breaking achievement, he is more focused on the science and outreach aspects of his mission. The only thing he misses about being on the surface is the sun, which has been a major factor in his life.