Man Who Ate and Slept in Underwater Capsule for the Longest Period: "The Sun Is What I Miss Most"

American Professor Spent 74 Days in Underwater Capsule
Studying Human Response to Prolonged Pressure Exposure
"The Sun Was Important in My Life... I Miss It"

An American professor who lived alone for two and a half months eating and sleeping in an underwater capsule said the thing he missed the most was the 'sun.'

According to the AP news agency and others on the 14th (local time), Joseph Dituri, an American diving expert and university associate professor, marked 74 days on the 13th since he started living in a capsule submerged 9 meters deep at a marine park in Florida.

This surpassed the previous record of 73 days, 2 hours, and 34 minutes set in 2014 at the same location by two other professors. This record is based on civilians living without a pressure control device, not military personnel. Dituri, who first entered the underwater capsule on March 1, is not stopping at setting a new record but continues to challenge himself with '100 days of underwater living.'

On the 13th, Joseph Dituri looking out the window from an underwater capsule in Florida. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The capsule where Dituri lives is about 9㎡ (2.7 pyeong) and is equipped with a bed, toilet, desk, and a window to look out into the sea.

He is known to exercise daily inside the cramped capsule, doing push-ups and taking naps for about an hour. Dituri also cooks eggs, salmon, and other foods using a microwave inside the capsule.

He also continuously communicates with the outside world by giving biomedical lectures to about 2,500 university students through online classes underwater and participating in media interviews.

Joseph Dituri is waving to a scuba diver inside an underwater capsule in Florida on the 13th.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

The reason Dituri took on this challenge is to find information necessary for astronauts preparing for Mars exploration. To this end, he is monitoring how the human body reacts when exposed to extreme pressure for a long time.

Although Dituri enjoys living underwater, he said the one thing he misses is the sun. He said, "What I miss the most when I am out of the water is literally the sun," adding, "The sun has been important in my life. I usually went to the gym at 5 a.m. and watched the sunrise."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.