KEY LARGO, Fla. – A clinical researcher and former United States Naval officer is living underwater in Key Largo.
As of Tuesday, he has only 93 days to go.
Dr. Joe Dituri is living more than 20 feet below the surface in habitat at Jules’ Undersea Lodge to do research and promote STEM studies.
Multiple researchers will join Dituri in the 100-day mission. He hopes to break the 73-day world record.
“There are three things we are doing in here. One is: we are increasing our outreach to the STEM community - science, technology engineering and math,” he said.
Research is also being done on materials underwater, and Dituri is having his vitals measured to see how underwater living affects the brain and body.
Managed by the Marine Resources Development Foundation MarineLab, the project will include students and other scientists throughout the 100 days.
The habitat at the Jules Undersea Lodge is a positive-pressure environment so air is constantly being pumped in. It was built in 1971 and still considered state-of-the art.
“Everything we need to cure everything that’s going on is in this world, is in this world,” Dituri said. “So we’ve got to live in this environment to figure this stuff out.”