“American researcher breaks record for life under water in Jules’ Undersea Lodge”

An American researcher has broken the record for ‘life under water’. Joe Dituri yesterday marked day 74 of his stay below sea level, which should last 100 days.

Dituri lives in an underwater hotel, Jules’ Undersea Lodge, off the coast of Florida. At a depth of ten meters he has a residence of 10 square meters, where he has a kitchenette, sitting area and sleeping place. At this location, two other researchers set the record of 73 days underwater in 2014.

“The record is a small milestone and very honourable, but we still have more research to do,” Dituri said of his achievement. “We go on!”

The 55-year-old Dituri wants to use his underwater enclosure to investigate the effect of greater air pressure on the human body. He wants to prove that the overpressure he experiences underwater makes his body stronger. Also, for example, brain injury would recover better due to increased blood supply.

The air pressure in the capsule is about twice as high as on the surface, due to the pressure of the water on space. “I expect to come out as a super human again,” he said optimistically at the start of the experiment.

In addition, his sleep patterns and mental health are also examined, information that can help, for example, when planning long space travel. The loss of muscle mass due to lack of activity can also be interesting, as can the effects of vitamin D deficiency due to lack of sunlight.

“The sun is what I miss most,” he says of the lack of natural light at this depth. “The sun is always important to me. I often exercise at 5 a.m. and then watch the sunrise.”

As a distraction, Dituri gives his lectures on biomedical engineering via a video link and receives scientists and young people who visit while diving. He hopes that his stay will inspire a new generation of researchers.

Dituri plans to resurface on June 9.