Remember the doctor Joseph Dituri, that university professor who spent 100 days living at the bottom of a lagoon, in a submerged bungalow? I told you about it in this article. Since then, the scientist has spent his entire "stay" without ever going back to the surface from March XNUMX until a few days ago.
When you say "hit rock bottom"
Dituri's underwater "residence," Jules' Undersea Lodge, is hidden 7 feet (73 meters) down in a Florida lagoon. It is there that the professor broke the previous record of 2014 days set in XNUMX at the same facility.
As you know, however, our brave diver's intent was not to break the record, but rather to explore the limits of human endurance in an extreme and isolated environment, and the effects of underwater pressure on health. Do you want some details?
Underwater experience between science and adventure
Dituri, a biomedical engineering PhD and former US Army officer, didn't go on this solitary adventure just for the thrill of exploration. His "life at the bottom" was a first-rate scientific experiment, christened Project Neptune 100, organized by the Marine Resources Development Foundation.
Unlike a submarine (which maintains internal pressure similar to surface pressure), the environment of Dituri's quarters was calibrated to replicate the higher pressure of the underwater environment. This is to understand how the human body and mind react to prolonged exposure to an isolated environment and extreme pressure. A discovery useful not only for ocean researchers, but also for astronauts planning long-term missions.
Daily work
During his three months and nine days underwater, Dituri certainly didn't sit idly by. He conducted daily experiments, and monitored his body's reaction to the increase in pressure over time.
He has also held online classes with students from 12 countries, and even hosted more than 60 visitors in his habitat. For him, the most gratifying part was interacting with nearly 5.000 students, trying to convey the importance of preserving, protecting and regenerating the marine environment.
If anyone has ever wondered what it would be like to live as a fish (or at least as an underwater human) for 100 days, Dr. Dituri will present the results of his "stay" at the World Extreme Medicine Conference in Scotland next November.
I'll let you know: I can't wait to find out the outcome of this extraordinary experience, which shows how important it is to push yourself beyond your limits: at the bottom of the sea or towards the stars.
