German man sets world record for longest time living underwater

Rüdiger Koch marked a milestone after 120 days living submerged in a capsule off Panama.

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A German aerospace engineer has set a new world record for the longest time spent living underwater without depressurisation, surviving 120 days in a submerged capsule off the coast of Panama.

Rudiger Koch, 59, emerged from his 30 square-metre underwater home on Friday, where he had been living at a depth of 11 metres. His achievement was officially recognised by Guinness World Records, with adjudicator Susana Reyes confirming that Koch had broken the previous record of 100 days held by American Joseph Dituri, who had lived in an underwater lodge in a Florida lagoon.

“It was a great adventure and now that it’s over, there’s almost a sense of regret,” Koch said after surfacing. “I enjoyed my time here very much. It’s beautiful when things calm down and the sea is glowing,” he continued, reflecting on the serene and enchanting views he had through the capsule’s portholes. “You can’t describe it, you have to experience it yourself.”

Koch celebrated his success by raising a toast with champagne, smoking a cigar, and then leaping into the Caribbean Sea. A boat picked him up and took him to dry land, where a party awaited him.

The capsule was equipped with modern conveniences, including a bed, toilet, TV, computer, internet, and even an exercise bike. Located just 15 minutes by boat from the northern Panama coast, the capsule was connected to another chamber above the sea by a tube containing a spiral staircase. This provided a means for food deliveries and visitor access, including a doctor. Solar panels powered the capsule, and while there was a backup generator, there was no shower.

Koch had expressed during an earlier interview with AFP that he hoped his underwater feat would spark a new way of thinking about human life and the potential for settling in the seas. “What we are trying to do here is prove that the seas are actually a viable environment for human expansion,” he said.

Over the course of his challenge, cameras filmed Koch’s daily life and monitored his mental health to provide the necessary proof that he never surfaced during the 120 days.

As an admirer of Captain Nemo from Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Koch had kept a copy of the 19th-century sci-fi classic beside his bed throughout the challenge. He said it was a fitting companion for his adventure beneath the waves.

Guinness World Records adjudicator Reyes described Koch's record as “undoubtedly one of the most extravagant” and noted that it required significant effort, including 24/7 monitoring and verification of his submerged existence.