A Florida associate university professor completed his research mission and set a new world record in the process: living 100 days below the surface of the ocean.
On Friday morning, Dr. Joseph Dituri felt the sun’s rays for the first time since retreating to an underwater complex some 10 meters below water off Key Largo, Florida, on March 1.
Dituri, 55, a biomedical engineer who teaches at the University of South Florida and calls himself “Dr. Deep Sea,” spent just over three months at the bottom of the Emerald Lagoon at Jules’ Undersea Lodge, the only underwater hotel in the United States, according to the hotel’s website.
The research project, Project Neptune 100, was organized by the Marine Resources Development Foundation, based in Key Largo, and focused on ocean conservation research and studying how compression affects the human body, according to the Dituri.
The US Navy veteran said he’s already noticed an impact: The water pressure seems to have shrunk his height by half an inch. Dituri was six feet tall before starting his mission, the University of South Florida said in a press release.
The scientist started the project with the hypothesis that increasing pressure could help humans live longer and prevent age-related diseases, the press release said. Dituri said he hopes his underwater research will benefit the treatment of a variety of ailments, including traumatic brain injury, according to the release.
Dituri also used the project as an educational experience for young people.
“We intended and interacted with thousands of school children to get them interested in science, technology, engineering and math,” Dituri told Guinness World Records on June 8.
While underwater, he continued to teach his students virtually, according to the University of South Florida.
Dituri broke the Guinness World Record for longest living underwater at his project’s 74-day mark on May 13.
The previous record was 73 days, two hours and 34 minutes, set in the same spot on Dituri’s successful attempt, according to Guinness World Records.
Friends, family, fans of his 100-day journey and a medical team greeted Dituri on Friday as he emerged from the surface of the water after 14 weeks below, at the University of South Florida.
“The human body has never been underwater for so long,” Dituri said in the press release. “This experience has changed me in important ways, and my greatest hope is that it has inspired a new generation of explorers and researchers to push all boundaries.”
Source: CNN Brasil
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