‘Dr Deep Sea’: US man sets record for living underwater

University professor from Florida aims to spend 100 days in an undersea lodge without depressurisation

Joseph Dituri broke the previous record of 73 days, two hours and 34 minutes for underwater experiment

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Dr Joseph Dituri peers out of a large porthole inside the Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Florida. Photo: Frazier Nivens/Florida Keys News Bureau via Reuters

Published: 10:34am, 15 May 2023Updated: 10:36am, 15 May 2023

A university professor broke a record for the longest time living underwater without depressurisation this weekend at a Florida Keys lodge for scuba divers.

Joseph Dituri’s 74th day living in Jules’ Undersea Lodge, situated at the bottom of a nine-metre-deep (30 feet) lagoon in Key Largo, was not much different than his previous days there since he submerged March 1.

Dituri, who also goes by the moniker “Dr Deep Sea”, ate a protein-heavy meal of eggs and salmon prepared using a microwave, exercised with resistance bands, did his daily push-ups and took an hour-long nap.

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

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.

But Dituri is not just settling for the record and resurfacing: he plans to stay at the lodge until June 9, when he reaches 100 days and completes an underwater mission dubbed Project Neptune 100.