A man who lived underwater for 100 days has revealed the bizarre effect it had on his body.Dr. Joseph Dituri, a 57-year-old biomedical engineer and retired U.S. naval officer, went on a 100-day underwater mission on June 9, 2023, where he made some startling discoveries.The mission, named Project Neptune 100, saw Dituri be confined in Jules' Undersea Lodge, a steel-and-glass habitat situated 30 feet beneath a lagoon in Key Largo, Florida, to investigate the physiological and psychological effects of prolonged exposure to such an extreme environment.And the effects that the process had on his body was shocking.According to the Marine Resources Development Foundation, which organized the event, Project Neptune aimed to "[combine] a long-term study of the physiological and psychological effects of compression on the human body and use the uniqueness of the mission and location to bring more awareness of current marine research and the importance of conservation of our ocean’s resources and processes."A press release from the University of South Florida said a project of this nature had the potential to discover how to help humans live longer.Dituri believed that the increased pressure of the environment had the potential to help humans live longer and prevent diseases associated with aging.After the 100-day stint, which he now holds a Guinness World Record for, he discovered some bizarre things that had happened to his body during the time he spent underwater.One of the major changes Dituri experienced while underwater was that the pressure caused him to shrink half an inch, according to the press release. He was initially measured at six foot one inches before entering the steel pod and came back at approximately six foot tall.Other preliminary findings included a drastic improvement in his sleep, cholesterol levels, and inflammation levels.He also noted: “It takes 200 days to travel to Mars. Our astronauts will have to travel in an environment similar to the one I’m in now – the confined area will limit their options for food, how far they can see, and how they can exercise. They will experience muscle loss, bone loss, and vision problems."This research could help us better prepare our astronauts to ensure they arrive healthy and strong enough to explore the planet," he noted.When he resurfaced in June 2023, Dituri also claimed that much of his health had improved, including a striking change to his telomeres - the structures on chromosomes that are often linked to extending life.He told WKMG News in Orlando: "I'm 56 now. My extrinsic [biological] age was 44. When I got out of the water, my extrinsic age was 34."So, my telomeres lengthened. I actually got younger when I was under the water."He claimed that blood tests also showed a 50 percent reduction in every inflammatory marker in his body.In addition to the research associated with human living, it was reported that the 57-year-old also collaborated with experts on how to protect, preserve, and rejuvenate the marine environment."It’s really not about the record," Dituri said at the time. "If we can get people excited about science, that would be a great success to me."University Professor Robert Frisina, chair of the Department of Medical Engineering spoke of the researcher's amazing achievement, stating: "Dr. Dituri’s amazing accomplishment is a great testimony to significant advances in knowledge and translational research that we are making here at USF in the area of bariatric medicine."Much important data has been collected over the past 100 days, that will eventually find its way to key preventative and curative clinical procedures," she added.Featured Image Credit: Giordano Cipriani/Getty

A man who has spent the past 25 years traveling on 1,000 cruise ships has revealed a strange health effect that he’s developed.

Mario Salcedo, who is nicknamed “Super Mario” in cruise circles, has spent more than two decades living at sea.

While his lifestyle may sound like a dream to some, it has come with an unexpected side effect.

In a candid interview with Conde Nast Traveler, the Cuban-born businessman, who recently completed his 1,000th voyage with Royal Caribbean, has shared that he lost his “land legs" as his body had become so accustomed to the motion of cruise ships.

Mario Salcedo has spent the past 25 years traveling on 1,000 cruise ships. Credit: James D. Morgan / Getty

“I’ve lost my land legs. I’m swaying so much I can’t walk in a straight line,” Salcedo said, cited by The New York Post. “I’m so used to being on ships that it feels more comfortable to me than being on land."

Salcedo's milestone 1,000th voyage took place aboard the Explorer of the Seas, an 11-night trip from Miami to Panama and the southern Caribbean that set sail on January 5, 2025.

Elaine Warren, CEO of The Family Cruise Companion, told Daily Mail that the cruiser's condition is known as Mal de Débarquement Syndrome (MdDS) - a rare vestibular disorder that makes you feel like you’re moving even when you’re not, per Cleveland Clinic.

"Spending extended time on a cruise ship sounds like a dream for many families. The convenience, entertainment, and all-inclusive nature of the experience make it an attractive idea,” Warren said.

"But when you shift from a vacation mindset to actually living at sea, a lot of unexpected things happen — especially to your body.”

Warren noted that long-term cruisers often develop “sea legs,” which is when they become so used to the ship’s movement that walking on land feels disorienting.

“I’ve spent years helping families plan cruise vacations, and while short-term trips are one thing, staying on board long-term is a different experience entirely,” she continued. “The first adjustment is to constant motion. The body adapts to the ship’s movement over time, but that doesn’t always mean in a good way.”

According to the Cleveland Clinic, MdDS symptoms typically fade within 24 hours, but in some cases, they can persist for months or even years.

Mario Salcedo said he lost his "land legs" after being on a cruise for so long. Credit: Joe Raedle / Getty

Salcedo spends around $101,000 per year on cruises. He splits his time between working about five hours a day and enjoying the luxuries of life at sea.

The full-time cruiser previously told the publication that he first fell in love with cruising in 1997 and never looked back. His time at sea was only interrupted once - when he was forced to return to land for 15 months during the pandemic in 2020.

“Nothing could lure me away from them, because I get treated like royalty,” he said about his journeys with Royal Caribbean. “The captains all know me."

Now, back on the water, it seems Salcedo has no plans to give up his floating paradise, even if it means never walking straight again.

Featured image credit: James D. Morgan / Getty

A nuclear submariner who spent six months living underwater on board a UK Navy sub has revealed the strange side-effects that he experienced when he came back to shore.

Paul McNally spent half a year under the waves without natural light or air, and that’s something you are definitely going to notice.

Nuclear submariner explains life beneath the waves

On his TikTok account, McNally took his followers on a journey to the bottom of the sea aboard a nuclear vessel - and it turns out that there are a few factors that make it a difficult life.

First off, he shared pictures of himself before and after the voyage, which he took aboard the HMS Vengeance.

The first photo before his deployment shows a fresh-faced young lad, then the second shows - well - seemingly the same lad, just a bit later on.

But, as he’d go on to explain - things had changed.

Paul McNally. Credit: TikTok/Paul McNally

“The first main side effect is complete sensory overload and disorientation,” he explained.

You might expect that, spending six months without knowing - figuratively speaking - which way was up can do that.

He continued: “Imagine this, all you have been seeing for the past six months straight is artificial light and every breath that has entered your lungs has been from recycled air.

“When it’s finally time to come back, you’ve been counting down the days and letting people climb up the ladder, and as you climb to the top of this ladder you get a glimpse of what real light looks like for the first time in six months.

“Then it’s just pure euphoria, you stand on top of the submarine casing, it’s complete sensory overload of all your senses, you take in the fresh air, the nature, the fact that you are finally back after what has felt like years underwater [in] legitimate purgatory.”

That’s not all though - there are other side effects that he discussed

Paul added: “The second one is social overstimulation.

“Being around crowds of people that you don’t know after living with the same crew for the past six months feels completely alien and definitely takes some getting used to.

“The third one is post-deployment emptiness.

“A mixture of exhaustion and loss of structure just creates complete emotional numbness and a hollow feeling inside of you as you sit alone in your room after being constantly surrounded by people for the past six months.”

One more for good measure, though.

Paul said: “The last ones sleep disruption.

“When you are used to only having a six hour slot to sleep for six months and you have three whole weeks to yourself to do anything, you generally spend most of it sleeping and ordering takeaways.”

Fair enough, after six months underwater you’ve probably earned it.

Credit: Handout/Getty

A fisherman who spent more than three months adrift in the Pacific Ocean has spoken out about the extreme lengths he had to go to in order to stay alive.A fisherman spent 95 days lost at sea. Credit: Xavierarnau / GettyMáximo Napa Castro, 61, set out on what was supposed to be a two-week fishing trip from the coastal town of Marcona, Peru, on December 7, 2024.However, powerful storms pushed his boat off course, leaving him stranded in open waters with dwindling supplies and no way to call for help.With only two weeks' worth of food on board, Castro was forced to rely on rainwater for hydration and resorted to eating whatever he could find to stay alive."I said I didn’t want to die for my mother. I have a granddaughter who is a few months old. I held on for her. Every day, I thought of my mother," he told CNN.According to Reuters, he survived by eating anything he could catch, saying: “I ate roaches, birds, the last thing I ate was turtles.”While his family anxiously awaited news, his daughter shared an emotional message on Facebook earlier this month: "Every day is anguish for the whole family… We never thought we would go through this situation, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, we will not lose hope, Dad, of finding you."After 95 agonizing days lost at sea, Castro was finally rescued by Ecuadorian fishermen who spotted him 680 miles off the coast on March 11, 2025.He was found in a severely dehydrated and critical condition before being rushed to Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes Hospital in Paita for treatment.His mother, Elena Castro, shared how she prayed for his safe return, telling TV Peru: "I told the Lord, whether he's alive or dead, just bring him back to me, even if it's just to see him. But my daughters never lost faith. They kept telling me: 'Mom, he'll come back, he'll come back,'" cited by The Independent.His daughter, Inés Napa Torres, expressed her gratitude to the fishermen who saved him, writing on Facebook: "Thank you, Ecuadorian brothers, for rescuing my dad Gatón, God bless you."She later told RPP Radio: "It is a miracle that my father has been found. We, as a family, never gave up hope of finding him."Now recovering, Castro is eager to return to his normal life and enjoy a proper meal again. "Today I ate rice with chicken and beans. I wanted to eat five plates, but I couldn't, so I had to eat just one," he told the outlet. "My stomach still needs to settle. My mom is going to make me carapulcra, rice with chicken, and sopa seca."All I want is to hug my mom. [The doctors] have told me I'm fine; I've always eaten well," he added.Featured image credit: A&J Fotos / Getty

A fisherman who became stranded at sea has shared how he managed to survive after he became adrift without food or water.José Salvador Alvarenga's 438-day ordeal adrift in the Pacific Ocean stands as a harrowing testament to human endurance and ingenuity.Alvarenga, a seasoned Mexican fisherman, embarked on what was supposed to be a routine fishing trip on November 18, 2012, with 22-year-old Ezequiel Córdoba.Initially, the trip was promising. However, as a storm began to brew, the decision to continue fishing proved disastrous. Waves inundated their boat’s engine, and they were swept further away from the shore.For a week, the storm ravaged them, and when it finally subsided, they found themselves adrift with minimal supplies.In an interview with former U.S. Ambassador to the Marshall Islands, Tom Armbruster, Alvarenga recounted the extreme measures taken to survive. Without fresh water or food, their survival depended on resourcefulness. "We drank the rainwater we collected in plastic bottles," Alvarenga said, describing how they gathered more than 70 bottles to store the precious liquid once it began to rain.The rainwater was a welcome reprieve from being forced to drink their own urine to survive, per The Guardian.Alvarenga and Córdoba initially consumed sea turtles and drank their blood, which Alvarenga noted provided significant energy and nutrition. “The blood is extremely healthy and gives you energy,” he shared. They also caught and ate small sharks, utilizing the nutritious liver for sustenance.But recalling the initial hunger, Alvarenga recalled: "I was so hungry that I was eating my own fingernails, swallowing all the little pieces,” Alvarenga told writer Jonathan Franklin.The fisherman also recalled scooping jellyfish from the sea and swallowing them whole. "It burned the top part of my throat, but wasn’t so bad," he said.Their situation grew even more desperate as they drifted further from land. To maintain a food supply, they resorted to catching birds that landed on their boat. They would wait patiently, strike when the birds were within reach, and break their wings to collect them. This method provided a continued, albeit grim, source of nourishment.The psychological toll of their ordeal was immense. Alvarenga revealed that maintaining mental fortitude was crucial for survival. “The best meals of my life were those imaginary meals I had at sea,” he told Franklin, author of 438 Days. Alvarenga also found solace in mental escapism, vividly imagining sumptuous feasts and intimate moments. “The best sex I had in my life was the imaginary sex,” he said, highlighting how imagination served as a crucial survival mechanism.Tragically, Córdoba had become depresses and seriously ill after consuming a contaminated raw seabird."He asked me to tell his mother that he was sad he could not say goodbye and that she shouldn’t make any more tamales for him – they should let him go, that he had gone with God,” Alvarenga said.Tragically, Córdoba died shortly after."I propped him up to keep him out of the water. I was afraid a wave might wash him out of the boat," Alvarenga recalled. "I cried for hours."Córdoba death meant that Alvarenga was left to face the vast ocean alone.Alvarenga described his loneliness and the subsequent hallucinations, including conversations with his deceased companion - asking how he had slept or if he enjoyed his breakfast.Credit: CNN (YouTube screenshot)Although he considered ending his own life, Alvarenga revealed that he was afraid to do so as his mom had always told him that those who do so don't get into heaven - instilling in him a fear that resulted in his survival.Despite several encounters with potential rescue opportunities, including a shipping container that passed without noticing him, Alvarenga’s hope was eventually restored. On January 30, 2014, after more than a year adrift, he reached a small islet in the Marshall Islands. There, he found a local beach house where he was finally able to secure help.Alvarenga’s incredible journey from November 2012 to his rescue in January 2014 remains one of the most extraordinary survival stories of the 21st century, illustrating both the physical and mental challenges of enduring such an ordeal.Featured image credit: CNN (YouTube screenshot)