This past weekend at a scuba diving resort in the Florida Keys, a university professor set a record for the longest period of time without depressurization while submerged.
The 74th day of Joseph Dituri’s residence at Jules’ Undersea Lodge, which is at the bottom of a Key Largo lagoon that is 30 feet deep, wasn’t much that different from the prior days there since he submerged on March 1.
Florida Professor Continues Scientific Pursuits
Dituri, who also goes by the name ‘Dr. Deep Sea,’ consumed a meal high in protein made up of microwaved eggs and salmon, worked out with resistance bands, performed his daily pushups, and then dozed off for an hour.
The lodge does not employ technology to take into consideration the higher underwater pressure, in contrast to a submarine.
Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain, two professors from Tennessee, shattered the previous record of 73 days, two hours, and 34 minutes in 2014 at the same location.
But, Dituri has no intention of stopping after setting the record and staying put there until 9 June, when he will have spent 100 days below and will have finished Project Neptune 100.
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Mission Combining Medical and Ocean Research Breaks Record
The Marine Resources Development Foundation, which owns the habitat, created the mission, which mixes medical and ocean research with educational outreach.
He conducts regular physiological studies as part of his research to examine how the human body handles prolonged exposure to high pressure.
As part of his outreach activities, Dituri uses his underwater digital studio to offer broadcast interviews and conduct online classes.
He has taught more than 2,500 students in the previous 74 days in his regular biomedical engineering courses at the University of South Florida and through online marine science courses.
Although while he claims to adore his underwater home, there is one thing he genuinely misses.
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