Florida researcher breaks world record for living underwater
Written by Rashna Sharma on May 16, 2023
Joseph Dituri, a University of South Florida associate professor, broke a world record for the longest time living underwater Saturday, when he marked his 74th day at Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Key Largo.
Dubbed Project Neptune, Dituri’s undersea adventure began March 1 as a mission of the Marine Resources Development Foundation combining research and ocean conservation outreach. On Saturday, he broke the previous world record for living underwater of 73 days set in 2014 by two professors from Tennessee.
Dituri is teaching a biomedical engineering class online while living 30 feet below the surface in a 100-square-foot habitat.
The International Board of Undersea Medicine is sponsoring the mission, during which Dituri is conducting daily testing of his vital statistics. He is tracking his health with blood panels, ultrasounds, electrocardiograms and stem cell tests with help from other scientists, who regularly join him underwater. He also will test new technology, including an artificial intelligence tool that screens for illness.
Dituri was a saturation diving officer in the U.S. Navy and later studied traumatic brain injuries at the University of South Florida.
Source : UPI News
