Dr. Joseph Dituri is spending 100 days submerged at Jules’s Undersea Lodge in Key Largo during the Project NEPTUNE 100 mission, conducting groundbreaking medical and marine science research and setting a record for underwater human habitation at ambient pressure.

While undersea, he will teach online classes and welcome science-focused digital influencers.

The hyperbaric medicine researcher, educator and diving explorer submerged March 1 to live and work in the undersea lodge at the Marine Resources Development Foundation’s MarineLab facility that has been converted into a subsea hotel suite lying 30 ft. beneath the surface.

Dituri, a retired U.S. Navy commander with a doctorate in biomedical engineering, plans to resurface June 9 after completing his 100-day mission.

The previous record for human subsea habitation at ambient pressure is 73 days, set in 2014 by Tennessee teachers Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain, who also spent their time submerged at Jules’s Undersea Lodge.

Dituri’s objectives include furthering his research on the positive influence of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on human health and exploring the ocean’s role in the treatment of disease. In addition to marine scientists to assist with ocean studies, he has assembled a team of physicians and researchers to study him during the 100-day mission, including EKGs, psychological and sociological evaluations, sleep diaries, and exercise tracking.

He believes the results will be important for the future of long-duration space travel, including missions to Mars, as well as for undersea exploration.

Dituri will hold regular online classes, including the hyperbaric medicine classes he teaches at the University of South Florida and college-level biomedical engineering courses for high-school students.

Renowned oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle and others will join Dituri undersea as speakers during the planned online classes and broadcasts.

Learn more here.