iStockphoto / serebryannikov
A 59-year-old aerospace engineer from Germany recently emerged from his 320-square-foot underwater home in Panama where he had lived for 120 days in an unpressurized environment. Upon surfacing, he was greeted by a representative from Guinness World Records who certified that he’d set a new world record for living the longest underwater in an unpressurized environment, and he did it all just to prove that he could.
The man, Rudiger Koch, broke the previous record of 100 days that was set by Joseph Dituri in the Florida Keys. Koch’s underwater home off Panama was 36 feet under the surface.
Not for nothing, he should receive a special award from Guinness World Records, something bigger than usual, for surviving 120 days underwater. 4 months down there, 36 feet under the sea, might sound cool until you’re about 72 hours in and realize how incredibly bored you are about to get over the coming months… Here he is showing off his underwater abode:
Upon surfacing, Rudiger Koch was taken back to the mainland for a party and a cigar where he could return to normalcy. He recently told AFP News “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. It is beautiful when things calm down and it gets dark and the sea is glowing.” Koch added “It is impossible to describe, you have to experience that yourself.”
The structure he was living in was an annex attached to a larger structure off the Northern coast of Panama. It can be seen here:
🌊 Day 120! Mission Accomplished! 🎉
The Living Underwater Challenge is complete! Thank you for being part of this journey in showcasing the future of ocean habitation. 🌍💙
📢 Join us LIVE on IG today for the Award Ceremony!
🕐 1:15 PM EST
🔗 IG Link: https://t.co/hVS9s6NNfn pic.twitter.com/9m8lWW5V5S— Ocean Builders (@OceanBuilders) January 24, 2025
Inside the living space he had… a bed, internet, TV, a stationary bike, a toilet…but no shower according to Gizmodo. So it came as no surprise that one of the first things he did was dive into the ocean after getting to the surface… Imagine spending 120 underwater and you’re unable to take a shower but every time you look out the sealed window you see water…
From a world record perspective it was a bit of a logistical hassle. In order to certify it, GWR had to have eyes on him 24/7 for all 120 days to ensure he never breached. They presumably tackled that using security cameras/Wi-Fi, hence the Internet access and electricity down there, but it would’ve been cool if they could have hooked him up with a shower…
The purpose of his world record for living 120 underwater was simple: to prove that it could be done. Living underwater for 120 days wasn’t about setting a world record, it was about showing the world that it’s possible.
Then, in a much more practical sense, the 120-day world record for living underwater was to show that humans can be living at sea in unpressurized situations in order to work on repopulating coral reefs which are vital for the survival of our planet.
The home he was living in was created/designed by the company OceanBuilders. On their website they have some cool visualizations of offshore/underwater living spaces.