Man will spend 100 days underwater to prove research

Scientist, professor and former US Navy diver Joe Dituri of the University of South Florida decided to stay underwater for 100 days. He is in an aquarium 9 meters deep and 30 square meters in Key Largo, California, in the Florida Keys archipelago.

Joe’s goal is to prove that living underwater prevents diseases related to aging and he wants to break the record as the person who spent the most time, in consecutive days, submerged. The current record is 73 days, held by an American professor from the Tennessee college who stayed at the same location in 2014.

The hyperbaric chamber that Joe is in is different from a submarine, as submarines are sealed when they are underwater and the pressure is maintained at sea level, which results in the maintenance pressure outside being about the same as the pressure inside. from the inside. In the room where Joe is, there are no hatches and the air inside is compressed by the ocean, increasing the pressure around him, which results in a pressure about 2 times greater than what he is used to outside the sea.

Staying under water for so long, even in a controlled environment like Joe’s, can be very dangerous for your health. As air pressure increases, the nitrogen gas present in our body can pass through the thin walls of the lungs and enter the bloodstream, causing various health problems. Going deeper than 30 meters, it can cause Narcosis, which is like when you’re drunk. Dimitri is 10 meters deep.

_{Joe Dituri in a hyperbaric chamber, his saga can be accompanied by the scientist’s official instagram – Reproduction/Instagram/@drdeepsea}

Joe knows that staying in the hyperbaric chamber for so long will be a task that could lead to a series of problems in his body, such as the circadian problem, a kind of body clock, which has as one of its functions to regulate the sleep cycle . This body clock, which depends on daylight, can cause sleep disturbances. The lack of vitamin D is another concern of the scientist, as this is also acquired through sunlight, and causes immunological problems. He will try to obtain this vitamin through supplements, foods rich in this nutrient and through ultraviolet lights.

As Joe’s immunity may vary, it may happen that some autoimmune disease, or one that is controlled, for previously living in a favorable environment, may occur that something related appears. This is very common for astronauts in outer space.

_{Joe receiving visits – Reproduction/Instagram/@drdeepsea}

To try to minimize bone and muscle loss, Dituri has 2 types of exercises at your disposal, which is walking in your small space and swimming. It is also indicated that he does some squats to try to compensate for this bone and muscle loss.

The studies carried out based on Joe Dituri’s experience are considered very satisfactory by the international community, as from it it will be possible to be sure of the health effects of a long-term insertion in submarine pressures. There are only studies referring to these pressures, with short-term results, such as healing benefits, so this new experience, in addition to being challenging, can show accurate data on physiological and psychological effects on the human body.

The entire project will cost US$ 250,000, which is equivalent to 1.3 million reais, and was obtained through sponsorships and donations. Joe will interact 24 hours a day and will teach online classes during the period, and may receive visits during his stay. On his Instagram, @drdeepsea, he will post his daily life under the sea.

Featured photo: Joe Dituri at the bottom of the sea – Photo: playback/Twitter