This Man Lived Underwater For 120 Days Off The Coast Of Panama, Setting The New World Record

Man sets world record by living underwater for 120 days.
taviphoto - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only

A German man has set a new world record for the longest time living underwater without depressurization. He spent a total of 120 days in a submerged capsule off the coast of Panama.

On January 24, Rudiger Koch, a 59-year-old aerospace engineer, surfaced from his 320-square-foot home under the sea and was greeted by Guinness World Records adjudicator Susana Reyes, who confirmed that Koch had broken a new record.

The record was previously held by an American professor named Joseph Dituri. He spent 100 days living in an underwater lodge in a 30-foot lagoon in Key Largo, Florida. During that time, over 30 adults and 15 middle and high school students stayed at the lodge with him.

Koch celebrated beating the record by toasting with champagne and smoking a cigar before jumping into the Caribbean Sea, where he was picked up by a boat that took him to dry land for a party in his honor.

“It was a great adventure, and now it’s over, there’s almost a sense of regret actually. I enjoyed my time here very much,” Koch said.

“It is beautiful when things calm down, and it gets dark, and the sea is glowing. It is impossible to describe; you have to experience that yourself.”

Koch’s capsule included most of the key features of any modern living arrangement: a bed, portable toilet, exercise bike, multiple fans, TV, computer, and satellite internet. It was located 15 minutes by boat from the coast of northern Panama.

A vertical tube containing a narrow spiral staircase attached the capsule to another chamber above the waves, providing a passage for food and visitors, including journalists, a doctor, his wife, and his kids.

On the surface, solar panels generated electricity. There was a backup generator but no shower, which he admitted to missing greatly.

Man sets world record by living underwater for 120 days.
taviphoto – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only

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He was monitored by four cameras every day, which proved he had been underwater the whole time and allowed his team to check on his health in case he suffered from any physical side effects.

Koch wanted to do more than just break a record. He also hoped that his little experiment would change the way that people think about human settlement.

Humans are strictly thought of as land mammals, but he showed that it was possible for humans to move into the ocean.

“What we are trying to do here is prove that the seas are actually a viable environment for human expansion,” he said. He added that the underwater capsule even benefited sea life, serving as an artificial shelter for fish and crustaceans.

While the human species might never grow gills, we may be able to permanently populate the world’s oceans someday as technology continues to advance.

Emily  Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a ... More about Emily Chan

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