German aerospace engineer Rudiger Koch, 59, has set a new Guinness World Record for the longest time living underwater without depressurization, spending 120 days in a submerged capsule off the coast of Puerto Lindo, Panama.
Koch emerged from his 30-square-meter underwater home on January 24, 2025, where Guinness World Records adjudicator Susana Reyes officially confirmed his achievement. He surpassed the previous record of 100 days set by American Joseph Dituri in a Florida lagoon.
“It was a great adventure, and now that it’s over, there’s almost a sense of regret. I enjoyed my time here very much,” Koch shared with AFP after leaving the capsule, which was located 11 meters beneath the sea.
He described the underwater experience as enchanting, saying, “It’s beautiful when things calm down, and the sea starts glowing in the dark. It’s impossible to describe—you have to experience it yourself.”
To celebrate his achievement, Koch toasted with champagne, smoked a cigar, and leaped into the Caribbean Sea before being taken to dry land for a celebratory party.
The capsule, powered by solar panels, featured modern amenities such as a bed, toilet, TV, computer, and an exercise bike. It was connected to a surface chamber by a spiral staircase that allowed food deliveries and visits, including routine checkups from a doctor. Despite the comforts, the capsule lacked a shower, and all of Koch’s movements were monitored by four cameras to ensure the integrity of his record-breaking endeavor.
Reyes described the record as “one of the most extravagant,” emphasizing the meticulous monitoring required over 120 days.
An admirer of Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Koch kept a copy of the novel by his bedside throughout his underwater stay. He hoped his efforts would inspire new perspectives on human habitation, stating, “What we are trying to do here is prove that the seas are a viable environment for human expansion.”
Koch’s remarkable feat blends engineering, endurance, and a vision for the future of underwater living.
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