US scientist Joseph Dituri - also known as Doctor Deep Sea - resurfaced on Friday having spent over 3 months underwater at a Florida Keys lodge for scuba divers. He has not seen the sun since March 1.
The aim of this project was to monitor how his body responded to the increase in pressure over time, with the scholar conducting daily checkups. The findings are expected to benefit astronauts and ocean scientists exposed to extreme conditions.
Preliminary data indicates that Dituri became ten years younger from a medical standpoint since his telomeres - the DNA sequence that usually dwindles as we age - became 20 percent longer.
During his time underwater, the researcher held online lectures with students from 12 countries, continued his teaching at the University of South Florida and even accepted guests. He plans to present his data at November’s World Extreme Medicine Conference.
Dituri also beat a previous world record for living underwater. In 2014, two researchers managed to spend 74 days beneath the surface at the same lodge.