KEY LARGO, FLA. (WSVN) - A University of South Florida professor and former U.S. Navy diver is about to hit a world record for living underwater for 100 consecutive days.
Joseph Dituri, also known as “Dr. Deep Sea,” has been staying at Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, conducting research and daily experiments in physiology.
Dituri had previously broken the world record for living underwater for 74 days starting March 1, but he told reporters that he planned on staying at the lodge until Friday to complete an underwater mission called Project Neptune 100.
“The idea here is to populate the world’s oceans, to take care of them by living in them and really treating them well,” Dituri previously told the Associated Press.
His website states that the mission includes ocean conservation research, the study of the physiological and psychological effects of compression on the human body, and education for children.
Additionally, he conducted online classes and broadcast interviews from his deep-water digital studio.
The researcher also found that the pressure, 30 feet below sea level, had actually shrunk his body by half an inch in height. He also noted a drop in his cholesterol.
On Friday he will leave his underwater classroom and head back to land.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.