TAMPA, Fla. — A University of South Florida professor is hoping to set a new world record but might feel a bit lonely over the next three months.
That’s because he’ll be living by himself — submerged in an undersea habitat.
“This is not about the time that I spend. It’s about the science that we’re doing and the outreach,” Dr. Joseph Dituri said.
For 100 days, Dituri will be living in a 100-square-foot habitat located at the Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Key Largo.
Dr. Deep Sea, as he’s now being called, isn’t just looking to set a record. The 55-year-old Navy diver veteran is studying how the human body responds to long-term exposure to extreme pressure.
“We are doing five blood samples throughout, including doctors coming down,” he said. “I have a 10-person medical team that are really good at what they do.”
Dituri plans to live and work in the habitat for the next three months, even teaching his biomedical engineering class online.
“I am actually teaching hyperbaric engineering at the medical engineering college at the University of South Florida,” he said.
There’s a toilet, a kitchen, sleeping quarters and a workspace in the habitat, which sits at a depth of about 30 feet. Dituri is also wearing an artificial intelligence health monitor from NASA. Like something straight out of "Star Trek," he says.
“As humans, we really need to figure out how we’re going to be living in that if we’re going to expand our planet. If we’re going to go interplanetary. If we’re going to find all the cures that we need to find,” Dituri said.
The hope is to spark interest in marine sciences while mimicking the effects of isolation and pressure.
The stresses are considered similar to those of long-term space travel. Not just physical, but psychological.
“The mental health part of this is important,” said Dituri, “Because you are in an isolated, confined, extreme environment. I mean, just like on our way to Mars.”
The previous record for living underwater, 73 days, was accomplished at the same location.
“I’ve got a lot of support from friends and family. Loved ones are all around me,” he said. “You can’t do this without the love of family. There’s no way.”
While this record underwater undertaking might end in 100 days, the scientific research will continue. After the project, Dituri will complete an ongoing series of psychological and medical tests to measure the impact of living in a pressurized environment long-term.
If you’d like to follow along on Ditutri’s journey, you can catch him on social media. He says he’ll be posting under the nickname Dr. Deep Sea on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.
