After spending an impressive 100 days living underwater university professor Dr Joseph Dituri aka “Dr Deep” resurfaced on Friday, finally raising his face to the sun for the first time since March 1. The University of South Florida professor achieved a remarkable feat by setting a record for the longest duration of living underwater without the need for depressurisation.
Sleeping with the fishes
Jules’ Undersea Lodge, a Florida Keys lodge for scuba divers served as Dr Deep’s home during this extraordinary endeavor.
The lodge, submerged 30 feet (9.14 meters) lies beneath the water’s surface in a Key Largo lagoon,
A diving explorer and medical researcher, Dituri surpassed the previous record of 73 days, two hours, and 34 minutes set by two professors from Tennessee in 2014, who also stayed at the same lodge.
What motivated him Dr Deep to stay underwater for 100 days?
For Dituri, the main motivation behind his underwater stay, which earned him the nickname “Dr Deep Sea,” was not about breaking records but rather about pushing the limits of human endurance in an underwater environment characterised by confinement and isolation.
“It was never about the record,” said the professor as per ABC News.
“It was about extending human tolerance for the underwater world and an isolated, confined, extreme environment,” he added.
Guinness world record
Dituri who holds a doctorate in biomedical engineering and is an retired US Naval officer, was recognised by the Guinness World Records as the new record holder on their website after he completed his 74th day underwater last month.
The Marine Resources Development Foundation, the organization that owns the lodge, is now planning to submit a request to Guinness to officially certify Dituri’s impressive achievement of 100 days.
Project Neptune 100 and underwater pressure
Dr Deep undertook the perilous challenge as part of Project Neptune 100. The project was organised by the Marine Resources Development Foundation.
A submarine utilises technology to maintain pressure similar to the surface so that its inhabitants can survive underwater. However, the lodge’s interior was designed to match the higher pressure found underwater.
Project Neptune 100 aimed to gather valuable knowledge about how the human body and mind respond to prolonged exposure to extreme pressure and an isolated environment.
Why is the project important?
The insights gained from this project as per ABC News have the potential to benefit ocean researchers and astronauts embarking on long-term missions in the future.
Throughout his 100-day underwater adventure, Dituri conducted daily experiments and measurements to monitor his body’s response to the increasing pressure over time. He also engaged in online discussions with thousands of students from 12 different countries, taught a course for the University of South Florida, and welcomed over 60 visitors to the underwater habitat. Findings from Project Neptune 100 will be presented at the World Extreme Medicine Conference in Scotland, scheduled for November.
