Professor resurfaces after living underwater for 100 days and setting a new world record

Joseph Dituri aka "Dr. Deep Sea" is finally out of the sea and back on dry land, after breaking his own world record and spending 100 days under deep pressure water. He has broken his own Guinness World Book record of spending 73 days under deep water, which had been the highest record so far. He reached his goal of spending 100 days under the 30-foot lagoon in Key Largo, Florida, reports PEOPLE.

“It was never about the record,” Dituri told the Associated Press on June 9, after his return. “It was about extending human tolerance for the underwater world and for an isolated, confined, extreme environment."

During his time underwater, he did not stop his daily routine. He taught his students at the University of South Florida, where he is a professor. The researcher has a doctorate in biomedical engineering and is a retired U.S. Naval officer. He wanted to know how the human body responds to a pressurized environment so he carried out multiple tests in the deep seawater. During this time, he was also closely monitored by a psychologist and a psychiatrist who recorded the effect of the mission on his mental health.

Last week, he shared how much he loved science and the sea in a tweet that reads: “This week is World Oceans Week, something by now you all know holds a special place in my heart. I’ve been living in it for the past 97 days. My time undersea has reaffirmed my love, care and curiosity about our oceans. They give us so much, and we need to do the same for them.”

Dituri spent his time underwater at Jules’ Undersea Lodge, the only underwater lodge in the U.S. He had broken the previous record of 73 days, two hours and 34 minutes achieved at the same location by two other professors Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain. "While breaking the world record is an exciting milestone, my mission doesn't end here," he wrote on Instagram at the time. "I have 23 more days undersea to conduct research, engage with learners of all ages, and continue my journey of discovery."

"Today I broke the world record for living underwater," Dituri wrote on Twitter upon spending 73 days underwater. "The curiosity for discovery has led me here. My goal from day 1 has been to inspire generations to come, interview scientists who study life undersea, and learn how the human body functions in extreme environments."

"The idea here is to populate the world's oceans, to take care of them by living in them and really treating them well," Dituri added, according to CBS News. The University of South Florida professor first took to this mission on March 1 and planned to stay underwater until June 9 to complete what he's calling Project Neptune 100. His mission is to show us how much humans are capable of and that we can always take the help of science to observe and learn better and that these endeavors are endless and ever-changing. Kudos to Dituri's efforts and observations!