14 May 2023 , 18:58
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A man living underwater carrying out research has broken a record for the longest time living underwater.
He's broken the record for the longest time living underwater at ambient pressure at a Florida Keys lodge for scuba divers.
Dr Joseph Dituri's record breaking 74th day at Jules' Undersea Lodge, which sits at the bottom of a 30-foot-deep lagoon in Key Largo, wasn't much different than his previous days there since he went under on March 1.
He ate a protein-heavy meal of eggs and salmon, cooked in a microwave, exercised using resistance bands, did his daily pushups and took an hour-long nap.
Dr Dituri has been living underwater for 74 days (AP)Taking to Twitter he said: "Today I broke the world record for living underwater. The curiosity for discovery has led me here.
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"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."
The previous record sat at 73 days, two hours and 34 minutes which was set by two Tennessee professors, Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain, at the same location in 2014.
But Dr Dituri isn't just settling for breaking the record and resurfacing - he plans to stay at the lodge unti June 9, when he will reach 100 days, and complete an underwater mission dubbed Project Neptune 100.
Dr Dituri has been living at the bottom of a 30-foot lagoon (AP)The mission combines medical and ocean research along with educational outreach. It has been organised by the Marine Resources Development Foundation, who owns the habitat.
"The record is a small bump and I really appreciate it," University of South Florida educator Dr Dituri said. "I'm honoured to have it, but we still have more science to do."
His research includes daily experiments in physiology to monitor how the human body will respond to long-term exposure to extreme pressure.
Dr Joseph Dituri is a former naval officer turned educator (@drdeepsea/Instagram)"The idea here is to populate the world's oceans, to take care of them by living in them and really treating them well," he explained.
The outreach portion of his mission includes conducting online classes and broadcast interviews from his digital studio under the sea. During the last 74 days he has reached more than 2,500 students through online classes in marine science and more with his regular biomedical engineering courses at the University of South Florida.
While he says he loves living beneath the ocean there is one thing he really misses.
Dr Joseph Dituri is a diving explorer and medical researcher (AP)"The thing that I miss the most about being on the surface is literally the sun," he explained.
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"The sun has been a major factor in my life - I usually go to the gym at five and then I come back out and watch the sunrise."
A former naval officer, Dr Dituri served for 28 years before retiring from active service. He's known as Dr Deep Sea online, and spends much of his time inspiring and empowering kids.
"They are the next, next generation," he said. "They are the ones that are going to carry the torch. THese kids are going to save the planet. And it's my job to help them start taking care of the planet."