"An associate university professor in Florida has completed his research mission and set a new world record in the process: living 100 days beneath the ocean’s surface. On Friday morning, Dr. Joseph Dituri felt the sun’s rays for the first time since retreating to a subaquatic compound 22 feet below the waters of Key Largo, Florida, on March 1," the CNN says.

"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 in 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 Key Largo-based Marine Resources Development Foundation and focused on ocean conservation research and studying how compression affects the human body, according to Dituri’s website."

"On track to complete a 100-day mission, USF Associate Professor Joseph Dituri has broken the world record for living underwater, previously set at 73 days. While teaching his students online, Dituri, also known as Dr. Deep Sea, is studying how the human body responds to long-term exposure to pressure from an underwater habitat located at Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Key Largo where he’s been living since March 1," the University of South Florida says.

"Dituri’s 100-square-foot underwater home has subjected him to an isolated and extreme-confined environment. He hasn’t seen the sun or enjoyed a homecooked meal since February. He’s sacrificed personal milestones, such as seeing his daughter graduate from college."

"A team of physicians is gathering data on Dituri’s health to compare to tests that were performed before he went underwater and will be performed again once he rises to the surface. The information will determine how the confined, rich-oxygen environment can impact an individual mentally and physically.

"Not only could this research be beneficial to space travel, but Dituri hopes it will allow him to help people with traumatic brain injuries – his original inspiration to earn his doctoral degree from USF and begin hyperbaric research. His hypothesis: If hyperbaric pressure can be used to increase cerebral blood flow, then it can be used to treat traumatic brain injuries and a broad spectrum of diseases."

"I am definitely missing being physically with my family and friends. The effects of being available only through technology are complicated because even though I can communicate regularly, the lack of ability to reach out or see them with my eyes in person has an effect," Dituri said.



"So we are pushing forward and bringing students of all ages, from many places in the world along with us. Maybe one day they will pick this science up and continue the journey we are presently on."

“It takes 200 days to travel to Mars,” Dituri said. “Our astronauts will have to travel in an environment similar to the one I’m in now – the confined area will limit their options for food, how far they can see and how they can exercise.



"They will experience muscle loss, bone loss and vision problems. This research could help us better prepare our astronauts to ensure they arrive healthy and strong enough to explore the planet.”

"Dituri will expand on this concept of hyperbaric medicine in his USF Maymester course. “I’m teaching a course about being under pressure while I am under pressure and what happens inside the body, the biological and chemical processes that change,” Dituri said.

"Mario Brock Leao, a junior studying biomedical engineering, was inspired to take the course after volunteering at Dituri’s Undersea Oxygen Clinic, where he says he observed improvement in many of the patients undergoing hyperbaric treatments. As an aspiring neurosurgeon, he jumped on the opportunity to learn more about how he could help his future patients.

"A university professor who spent 100 days living underwater at a Florida Keys lodge for scuba divers resurfaced Friday and raised his face to the sun for the first time since March 1," the PBS says.

"Dr. Joseph Dituri set a new record for the longest time living underwater without depressurization during his stay at Jules’ Undersea Lodge, submerged beneath 22 feet of water in a Key Largo lagoon.

"The diving explorer and medical researcher shattered the previous mark of 73 days, two hours and 34 minutes set by two Tennessee professors at the same lodge in 2014."

"Project NEPTUNE combined a long term study of the physiological and psychological effects of compression on the human body and used the uniqueness of the mission and location to bring more awareness of current marine research and the importance of conservation of our ocean’s resources and processes," the Project Neptune 100 says.

"Dr. Joseph Dituri lived for 100 days in Jules’ Undersea Lodge, an underwater habitat submerged in a lagoon in Key Largo, Florida. During the entire stay he conducted daily experiments in human physiology and demonstrate and used new technology.

"Project NEPTUNE aimed to boost support for marine conservation from its unique undersea base on the bottom of a tropical lagoon. The former undersea laboratory served as a “Digital Studio in the Sea” broadcasting interviews and science demonstrations from researchers and policy makers to ocean enthusiasts around the world.  Scientists, educational groups, and relevant non-profit organizations had the opportunity to arrange an online chat with him."

"Having already broken the record for the longest time spent living in an underwater fixed habitat, Dr Joseph Dituri, who goes by Dr Deep Sea, is planning to spend 100 days in a subaquatic compound," the Guinness World Records says.

"As of 13 May 2023, Dituri had already spent 74 days in the Jules’ Undersea Lodge and had just 26 days to go, in an effort to research the long-term effects of increased pressure on the body.

"The previous record was set by Jessica Fain and Bruce Cantrell after spending 73 days 2 hours and 34 minutes at the same location. Jules’ Undersea Lodge is an American hotel located in Key Largo, Florida, USA, consisting of about 100 square feet (9.2 sq m) of useable space."

"Joseph Dituri has spent more than 74 days at the bottom of a 30ft-deep lagoon in Key Largo, Florida. The previous record for most days spent living underwater at ambient pressure - 73 - was established by two professors in 2014 in the same Key Largo lodge," the BBC reports.

"Prof Dituri - who goes by the nickname Dr Deep Sea - began his journey on 1 March at Jules' Undersea Lodge, a small room that sits at the bottom of a lagoon in the Florida Keys. It is named after Jules Verne, who wrote the well-known sci-fi book 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

"For the project, called Project Neptune 100, the University of South Florida professor is studying how the human body reacts to long-term exposure to extreme pressure. Researchers are studying the 55-year-old's health, as well as the psychological effects of being isolated and confined for so long, by running a series of medical tests."

"The longest time spent living in an underwater fixed habitat is 100 days, and was achieved by Joseph Dituri (USA), who entered Jules’ Undersea Lodge, a steel-and-glass facility anchored at a depth of 9.14 m (30 ft) just off the coast of Key Largo, Florida, USA, on 1 March 2023, as verified on 9 June 2023," the Guinness World Records says.

"Joseph Dituri is living underwater as part of Project Neptune 100, which was organized by the Marine Resources Development Foundation. He plans to stay underwater for 100 days."

"A scientist has broken the world record for living underwater after spending 74 days living in a habitat 30 feet (9 metres) below a Florida lagoon," The Independent reports.

"Former naval officer Dr Joseph Dituri is the first person to live that long that far underwater without depressurisation, with plans to remain in Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Key Largo until 9 June as part of a 100 day mission dubbed Project Neptune 100.

"The mission combines educational outreach with medical and ocean research, with scientists keen to see what impact sustained exposure to such pressure will have on the human body."

"May 13 was Joseph Dituri's 74th day living at Jules' Undersea Lodge. The previous world record, set by two other professors in 2014, was 73 days. Dituri plans to make it to 100 days underwater," the CBS News reports.

"The curiosity for discovery has led me here," he tweeted after breaking the record. "My goal from day 1 has been to inspire generations to come, interview scientists who study life undersea and learn how the human body functions in extreme environments."

"Dituri's underwater mission, dubbed Project Neptune 100, was organized by the Marine Resources Development Foundation. The project uses the uniqueness of the study's location to bring awareness to marine research and conservation efforts, according to the foundation. The project also studies the impact of compression on the body."

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