59-year-old German lived underwater for 4 months and set a world record: Video
Rudiger Koch, a 59-year-old German aerospace engineer, has set a Guinness World Record after living underwater for 120 days in a specially designed capsule off the coast of Panama.
The record, which surpasses the previous mark of 100 days held by American Joseph Dituri, was officially recognised by Guinness World Records.
The achievement required meticulous planning and round-the-clock monitoring, as confirmed by Guinness adjudicator Susana Reyes. “To beat a world record and set a new one, especially this one, is pretty unique. It took a lot of work from both Guinness and the record holder's team. We needed witnesses who were monitoring and verifying 24/7 for more than 120 days,” Reyes said.
The underwater habitat, stationed 11 meters below the surface, offered limited space but provided Koch with an intimate connection with marine life. "I didn’t have so much time to reflect; there was so much to do,” Koch said. “But it’s beautiful when things calm down, and it gets dark, and the sea starts glowing. I would turn off all the lights and let the sea be my only light source. It’s indescribable - you have to experience it yourself.”
Reyes noted the logistical challenges of conducting such a record attempt in the open sea, emphasising the complexity of providing for Koch’s needs while ensuring uninterrupted monitoring. "This also implies special logistics - not just to satisfy the needs of our record holder who lived underwater, but also to make sure all the evidence is verifiable," she explained.
