Navy vet professor 'Dr. Deep Sea' spends more than 2 months at bottom of Key Largo lagoon, breaking record: 'The idea here is to populate the world’s oceans'

A retired Navy officer and current professor has just broken the record for underwater living — and he has no plans to resurface any time soon.

Saturday marked the 74th day Dr. Joseph Dituri, a 55-year-old biomedical engineering instructor at the University of South Florida, has spent living in an unpressurized facility, breaking a new record. Dituri first entered Jules' Undersea Lodge, located at the bottom of a 30-foot lagoon in Key Largo, Florida, on March 1.

Though he has now broken the record, Dituri, better known by his nickname, Dr. Deep Sea, will remain under water for at least another 26 days as part of Project Neptune 100, a scientific study on the physiological effects of deep-sea living. "The record is a small bump, and I really appreciate it," Dituri said. "I’m honored to have it, but we still have more science to do."

Dituri, who spent nearly 30 years in the Navy, specializes in hyperbaric medicine, or the treatments necessary for humans living in environments with tremendous atmospheric pressure. By spending more than three months in Jules' Undersea Lodge, Dituri hopes to "study the effects of long-term exposure to pressure and ... other diving-related medical issues," a flier for Project Neptune 100 stated.

To meet his research goals, Dituri wakes up in the lodge at 5 a.m. and jumps right into an early-morning workout. He then spends a few minutes enjoying the sunrise before tending to his daily tasks. Though away from campus, Dituri is still responsible for teaching some USF biomedical engineering courses, which he conducts virtually. He also engages in some daily physiological experiments on himself to better understand the long-term effects of extreme atmospheric pressure. He usually squeezes in an hour-long nap as well. With the help of a microwave, Dituri eats protein-dense meals, such as eggs and salmon.

Dituri hopes that his research and the research of other marine-life enthusiasts will inspire young people to explore deep-sea living. He said that kind of research "is worthwhile to the world."

"My goal from day one has been to inspire generations to come, interview scientists who study life undersea, and learn how the human body functions in extreme environments," he said. "The idea here is to populate the world’s oceans, to take care of them by living in them and really treating them well."

Though Dituri appears to enjoy his underwater experience, he does miss aspects of life on the earth's surface as well. "The thing that I miss the most about being on the surface is literally the sun," he confessed. "The sun has been a major factor in my life."

Should Dituri hold fast to his goal and complete the 100-day challenge, he will resurface on June 9, 2023. The previous record for underwater living without pressurization was set nine years ago when two Roane State Community College professors, Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain of Tennessee, spent just over 73 days at the same Jules' Undersea Lodge. The lodge is named after French author Jules Verne, who wrote "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea."

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