KEY LARGO, Fla. — A professor at the University of South Florida set the world record for the longest amount of time living underwater Saturday.
Dr. Joseph Dituri has been living at Jules' Undersea Lodge for 73 days. On Saturday, May 13, at 1:05 p.m., Dr. Dituri set the world record.
He plans to stay underwater for 100 days total, resurfacing on June 9. He will then submit to in-depth medical examination to learn about the effects of living underwater on the human body.
The previous record was set in 2014 by Tennessee teachers Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain. The pair also stayed at Jules' Undersea Lodge, which is part of the MarineLab Environmental Education Center.
“I’m humbled that my curiosity for discovery has led me here,” said Dituri. “My goal is to inspire — not only for generations to come, but for scientists around the globe who study life undersea and how the human body functions when in extreme environments.”
