Researcher Experiments Living Underwater for 100 Days to Study How High Pressure Impacts Longevity. The Results Are Baffling

Living underwater is one of the few spaces humans have failed to penetrate. While that objective remains a far-fetched possibility, a diving explorer and medical researcher has pushed the boundaries with his breakthrough research mission of living underwater. Dr. Joseph Dituri, an associate professor at the University of South Florida (USF), retreated to 22 feet below sea level of the Key Largo in Florida and broke out of the surface water after 100 days in June 2023. His primary motive was to study the impact of compression on the human body and ocean conservation research, per the University of South Florida.

In his attempt, Dr. Dituri, also known as ‘Dr. Deep Sea’, set a new world record by spending over three months surviving beneath the ocean’s surface at the bottom of the Emerald Lagoon. The previous record was held at 73 days, 2 hours, and 34 minutes at the same location, per the Guinness World Records. The biomedical engineer was reportedly residing at the only underwater hotel in the United States, Jules’ Undersea Lodge, to accomplish Project Neptune 100. The chronicles of his underwater staycation can be found on his Instagram handle @drdeepsea.  

This research adventure was organized by the Marine Resources Development Foundation based in Key Largo to study the effects of hyperbaric pressure on the human body, per a statement from the USF. On March 1, the 55-year-old researcher embarked on his new mission on the grounds of his hypothesis that high pressure promoted life longevity in humans. He theorized that it could also potentially prevent illnesses related to age including traumatic brain injuries, per the news release. 

Dr. Deep Sea said, “The human body has never been underwater that long.” He acknowledged the life-changing experience and hoped that the endeavor would inspire “a new generation of explorers and researchers” to set new records in the domain. Speaking of his findings, the professor discovered that his height had shrunk by an inch after living underwater for prolonged periods. His initial height was recorded as 6 feet 1 inch tall at the time of departure but observed changes in his stature after returning to land. He also found that his sleep quality was enhanced in addition to improvements in his cholesterol levels and inflammation. 

Though living underwater, Dr. Dituri continued teaching a biomedical engineering course virtually to his students at USF. He conducted 124 online interactions engaging with over 5,500 students hailing from 15 different countries, per USF’s statement release. The associate professor marked this aspect as the “favorite part of the mission.” “Who knows, maybe one day, one of them will come back and break the record we just set,” Dituri speculated. 

On June 9, the biomedical engineer popped out of the surface and was welcomed back to land by his friends, family, and fans supporting his sub-aquatic journey. A team of medical experts was on standby to examine his health conditions and perform routine checks. “Dr. Dituri’s amazing accomplishment is a great testimony to significant advances in knowledge and translational research that we are making here at USF in the area of bariatric medicine,” eminent professor and chair of the Department of Medical Engineering, Robert Frisina said.  The associated researchers decipher and compare data from before, during, and after Dituri’s underwater retreat in the 100-square-foot establishment.