Scientists Set World Record for Living Underwater

Two scientists have broken the record for the longest time spent living underwater, as of 11:28 a.m. EST today.

The biologists, Bruce Cantrell and Jessica Fain, have spent nearly 10 weeks in Jules’ Undersea Lodge, which bills itself as “the only undersea hotel on Earth” and is located just off the coast of Key Largo, Florida. …

Cantrell and Fain, respectively a biology professor and biology instructor at Roane State Community College in eastern Tennessee, decided to live underwater to learn more about marine biology and educate students about the ocean. They’ve hosted a series of weekly educational videos, all available on YouTube, about their time living underwater, which they’ve dubbed Classroom Under the Sea.

The videos are aimed at teachers and students from middle school and older. The trip was funded by the college and other groups, and its official sponsor is Diversity in Aquatics, an organization devoted to “decreasing the rate of drowning deaths worldwide” and teaching people about water safety.