This engineer has just spent 4 months underwater at a depth of 11 meters: for what purpose ?

© Color/Pixabay

While some dream of seeing humanity fly to the stars; randomly, on the planet Mars, for example; off the coast of Panama, a man has just accomplished a rather astonishing feat. Rudiger Koch, a 59-year-old aerospace engineer, lived for 120 consecutive days in the depths of the sea, without ever returning to the surface. A new world record, previously held by Joseph Dituri, who spent 100 days in an underwater lodge in Florida.

Jules Verne's dream comes true

Of course, Koch was not floating in the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean, but lived in a capsule, developed by a specialized company: Ocean Builders. A company that has chosen the construction of underwater habitats as its main activity and which built its first prototype in 2019.

Koch was therefore submerged 11 meters deep in a 30 m² aquatic residence quite minimalist. The habitat included essential equipment: a bed, toilet, internet connection, electricity, a television and an exercise bike. The absence of a shower and limited access to fresh water were the main daily constraints for the occupant.

A system connects the submerged capsule to a floating module on the surface via a tube containing a spiral staircase. This connection, exclusively reserved for visitors, allowed for medical visits and the supply of essential resources. Four cameras continuously monitored the habitat, ensuring the validity of the record, as Susana Reyes, representative of Guinness World Records, points out: “ Continuous monitoring 24 hours a day for more than 120 days was essential “.

Photo of Rudiger Koch, in his underwater capsule. © Ocean Builders/X

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The ocean as a territory of the future?

Ocean Builders was actually co-founded by Koch; on its official website, it presents itself as a “company specializing in technology ;#8217;ocean innovation » with the ambition « to revolutionize marine technology to transform the oceans, which cover 72  % of our planet, into true havens of sustainability. With our solutions, humanity will be able to conquer the seas and find an incomparable living environment there ».

Their vision is to transform the oceans into a new habitable frontier while preserving marine ecosystems. ” Moving to the ocean is a natural evolution that could help restore reefs ,” Koch explains in an interview with CBS midway through his stay. Conquering the seas while preserving marine biodiversity, which is now dangerously threatened? The contradiction is quite clear.

For the moment, the company's ambitions seem to be more of a new age dream with the bitter taste of bluewashingthan a scientific reality. Especially considering that Ocean Builders explicitly displays on its website that it offers habitats for electrosensitive people. Since electrosensitivity has never been demonstrated by solid evidence, we can conclude that Ocean Builders is trying to appeal to a specific audience and justify a project that, at bottom, rests on shaky scientific grounds.

In any case, Koch was deeply affected by the experience: ” It's like waking up from a dream. I was in a magical world ,” he confides. He describes with wonder the privileged moments he experienced: “ The beauty of the moments when everything calms down, when darkness sets in and the sea becomes luminescent .” To celebrate his return to the surface, Koch treated himself to a well-deserved moment of relaxation with champagne, cigars and a liberating swim.An engineer spent 120 days underwater in a 30 m² capsule, setting a new world record.

This experiment aims to promote underwater habitats as an ecological and futuristic solution for humanity.

While the concept is intriguing, the ambitions of the company behind the project raise doubts about their feasibility and real impact.

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