Researcher has lived underwater for more

than 75 days in test of body and mind

Joseph Dituri has lived in the Jules' Undersea Lodge in a lagoon in Key Largo, Florida, for more than 75 days as part of his experiment to
live underwater for 100 days. Photo: Frazier Nivens/Florida Keys News Bureau/AP Photo: Frazier Nivens/Florida Keys News Bureau/AP

Every day, Joseph Dituri wakes up around 5 a.m., walks to his workstation and basks in the sun
that hovers above him.

This sun, however, is a yellow pillow with a smiling face in the center. Dituri hung it on his wall to
remind him of the real sun, which he hasn't seen in more than 75 days.

Dituri, a hyperbaric medicine researcher and associate professor at the University of South
Florida, has been living in an underwater pod in Key Largo, Florida, since March 1, 2023. He's
exploring whether living underwater is possible through daily tests on his brain, heart, lungs and
blood.

On his 73rd day at Jules' Undersea Lodge, Dituri believed he broke the world record for the
longest stint living underwater. But he is still determined to live submerged for 100 days to
complete his experiment.

"It's not about the world record," Dituri told the Washington Post. "It's about living underwater
and in an isolated, confined, extreme environment. I have 100 days as the mark, but it's only
because I couldn't afford to spend 200 days."

Dituri has long been fascinated with water. He grew up near the Atlantic Ocean in Long Island,
New York, and served in the U.S. Navy for nearly 28 years before retiring as a commander in
December 2012.

Around that time, Dituri was scuba diving near Orange County, California, when he said he saw an
11-inch sea lice. He had believed all sea lice were only a few millimeters long. He wondered what
other species he could discover in the sea.
Dituri knew living underwater was possible. In 2014, two
Tennessee professors stayed in Jules' Undersea Lodge, an
underwater hotel in Key Largo, for 73 days. Since watching his
military colleagues suffer concussions during the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan, Dituri has studied treatments for traumatic
brain injuries. He wondered whether living underwater in a
pressurized environment could aid brain injuries.

"I said, 'We have to live in the ocean,'" Dituri said. "Everybody Image 1. The pod's sleeping quarters at
was like, 'You've gone crazy.' I was retired from the Navy, and Jules' Undersea Lodge in Florida. Photo:
they're like, 'That's it. You've lost it.'" Richard Ellis/Alamy

Dituri needed more degrees to become a researcher, so he earned a Ph.D. in biomedical

The coronavirus pandemic halted his plans to begin his experiment in 2020, but Dituri decided he
would fund nearly half of the roughly $200,000 project this year. The Marine Resources
Development Foundation, a nonprofit in Key Largo, also helped fund the project, Dituri said.

Before Dituri went underwater, doctors recorded his vitals, including blood pressure, cholesterol,
calcium levels, muscle inflammation and stem-cell health. He also underwent anxiety and
depression exams with psychologists.

Dituri booked a 100-square-foot pod — similar to a 10-by-10-foot room — that rests 22 feet
underwater. The lodge gets electricity, oxygen and water from a cord connected to land. Dituri also
attached an ethernet cable to a router on land for internet access. The pod has a small kitchen,
toilet, shower and bedroom.

Every three days, Dituri said his research colleagues swim to his pod to deliver food, including eggs
and salmon, in a pressurized container. But Dituri can only cook in a microwave because of the
increased pressure in the sea. He also makes Café Bustelo coffee every morning. Dituri still teaches
his hyperbaric medicine and biomedical engineering classes virtually three days per week for the
University of South Florida.

He exercises with resistance bands and takes vitamin D supplements. But his main research has
come from tests on his body. He frequently takes urine samples and has undergone electrograms,
which record brain and heart activity.

When doctors and researchers visit Dituri, they check his blood and organs. He also meets
virtually with psychologists and a psychiatrist to monitor his mental health. Dituri often leaves his
pod for snorkeling, and he believes he recently discovered a new single-cell organism.
Dituri said that his cholesterol and stress have dropped, that he spends more of his rest in REM or
deep sleep, and that he has produced stem cells at a faster rate. When he leaves the pod on June 9,
2023, Dituri will undergo extensive testing to see how his body reacted to the new environment.

Still, Dituri has missed human touch. He only sees his girlfriend and three daughters virtually and
recently missed his middle daughter's college graduation. Dituri's 80-year-old mother, Mary,
planned to take a scuba-diving course so she can visit her son.

Dituri also misses the sun. He used to watch the sunrise almost every morning after a workout, but
he has recently had to settle for his sun pillow. While he yearns for those experiences on land,
Dituri still wishes he could stay underwater longer.

"Everything we need is here," Dituri said. "I now know. I need to let everybody else know."
Quiz

1 Which sentence from the article BEST explains the health benefits of living underwater?

(B) Dituri, a hyperbaric medicine researcher and associate professor at the University of South Florida, has
been living in an underwater pod in Key Largo, Florida, since March 1.

(C) Dituri and four friends stayed at Jules' Undersea Lodge for five days to test underwater life.

(D) He also underwent anxiety and depression exams with psychologists.

(E) Dituri said that his cholesterol and stress have dropped, that he spends more of his rest in REM or deep
sleep, and that he has produced stem cells at a faster rate.

2 Read the statement.

Living underwater for an extended period of time can be emotionally challenging.

Which sentence from the article provides the BEST support for the statement?

(B) Since watching his military colleagues suffer concussions during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Dituri
has studied treatments for traumatic brain injuries.

(C) He frequently takes urine samples and has undergone electrograms, which record brain and heart
activity.

(D) He only sees his girlfriend and three daughters virtually and recently missed his middle daughter's
college graduation.

(E) While he yearns for those experiences on land, Dituri still wishes he could stay underwater longer.

3 Which two sentences from the article include CENTRAL ideas of the article?

1. Dituri hung it on his wall to remind him of the real sun, which he hasn't seen in more than 75 days.
2. Dituri, a hyperbaric medicine researcher and associate professor at the University of South Florida, has been living
in an underwater pod in Key Largo, Florida, since March 1.
3. But Dituri wanted to be submerged longer, and by himself, to see how his brain and body would respond.
4. Every three days, Dituri said his research colleagues swim to his pod to deliver food, including eggs and salmon, in
a pressurized container.

(B) 1 and 2

(C) 1 and 4

(D) 2 and 3

(E) 3 and 4

4 Which statement would be MOST important to include in a summary of the article?

(B) Dituri believes he has broken the record for the longest stint living underwater.

(C) Two professors stayed in the Jules' Undersea Lodge for 73 days in 2014.

(D) Dituri discovered an 11-inch sea lice when he was scuba diving in California.

(E) The lodge that Dituri is staying in is connected to a router for internet access.