Stuck in his capsule among the fish, Rüdiger Koch spent his days staring at the seabed behind his porthole. In reality, this 59-year-old German was very seriously tackling a Guinness Book record: that of longevity underwater without depressurization. An aeronautics engineer, Rüdiger lived 120 days at a depth of 11 m under the Caribbean Sea, in 30 m2, thus shattering the performance of his predecessor, the American Joseph Dituri, who had spent 100 days in a cabin submerged at the bottom of the ocean. a lake in Florida.
Rüdiger Koch’s adventure began on September 26, 2024, 15 minutes by boat from the coast of Puerto Lindo, in the north of Panama. He moved into underwater accommodation connected to a house perched above the water by a spiral staircase. Television, exercise bike, bed, high-speed Internet connection, small meals delivered to his living room, he benefited from every comfort during his stay, except a shower. This concern for hygiene did not prevent him from receiving his two children, his wife and a doctor in turn.
Four cameras filmed him constantly to ensure his state of health and that he did not attempt to return to the surface. So as not to lose his bearings, a clock showed him his time spent underwater. Behind this solitary life among fish, Rüdiger Koch simply wanted to prove to the world that we could live underwater. “It’s been a great adventure,” summarizes the German, “and now that it’s over, I almost regret going out, I really enjoyed the time spent here. »
