A Florida scientist who goes by Dr. Deep Sea online has just broken the record for the longest time living underwater, according to his Instagram post. Dr. Deep Sea, or Joe Dituri, is a US Navy veteran, and for the past 70+ days, he has spent his days living in a habitat under the sea. Dituri plans to spend 100 days in the habitat before finally surfacing again.
The experiment is taking place in the Jules’ Undersea Lodge, which is a steel and glass habitat located 30 feet below the surface of the water in a lagoon in Key Largo, Florida. The lodge is normally housing for paying guests, but has been part of Dituri’s attempts to learn more about the effects that living underwater for long periods of time can have on the human body.
Dituri is more than just a veteran and researcher with a penchant for spending long days under the sea. He’s also a biomedical engineer, and his experiment to become the man who has spent the longest time living underwater will also help us learn more about the biomedical effects this kind of thing could have on humans.
Further, the experiment helps Dituri educate more people on the ways that underwater life is thriving and growing. Beyond that, it also acts as just one part of Dituri’s ongoing experiments to see how well humans can survive in isolated environments.
The previous record for the longest time living underwater was 73 days, according to the Guinness World Records. However, Dituri has spent over 73 days at the time of this writing, and in September, he plans to continue his experiment by taking flight on a modified airliner that will let him experience zero gravity several times.
All of these experiments will help Dituri learn more about the effects of isolated living on the human body, and they’re also part of his ongoing plans to become a civilian astronaut in 2026, according to his website.
