Panama: At a depth of 11 meters off the coast of Panama, German Rudiger Koch has been living for two months in a capsule attached to a futuristic house built in the waters of the Caribbean Sea. The 59-year-old aerospace engineer aims to set a Guinness World Record and prove that living comfortably and working underwater is possible.
"Moving to the ocean is something we should do. It is much quieter down here. It is not like life in the city; what you hear are the waves" and the slight "noise of the fish," Koch tells AFP journalists, while in confinement.
In 30 m2 he has a portable toilet, a bed, a television, a computer, a stationary bicycle and fans. He also has satellite internet and uses solar power, and he also has a small electric generator. But he doesn't have a shower. "I wake up at six, follow the news, do some work and then make breakfast to take care of all the things that come up every day," says Koch.
On a small table is a copy of his favourite book: "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," the classic work by the 19th-century French novelist Jules Verne.
An admirer of Captain Nemo, Koch began his challenge on September 26 and plans to emerge on January 24 to break the record as the person who has spent the longest time underwater without depressurization. Currently, that title is held by Joseph Dituri, who spent 100 days in a submerged cabin in a Florida lake.
Two digital clocks measuring one meter each mark the days, minutes and seconds that have passed and those are remaining.
Turquoise windows
The floating house, located off the coast of Puerto Lindo in Portobelo, can be reached after a 15-minute motorboat ride from the Linton Bay marina. The house, which is circular and has 360-degree windows, is mounted on a cylindrical structure, so to get in you have to climb a hanging ladder or a lift.
Once inside, a narrow spiral staircase descends down the cylinder to Koch's submerged cabin. "It's not particularly hard, I don't feel like I'm suffering down here at all, although the hardest thing is that sometimes I want to dive," he says.
From the circular windows of his capsule, one can see fish of different sizes. "You have a very different view," he says, with the turquoise background of the waters.
Koch says his capsule's external walls, made of a shell-like material, are eco-friendly and support coral and fish habitats.
"A good shower"
Four cameras monitor him to ensure he does not abandon his mission and that everything runs smoothly. Upstairs in the house, Israeli security expert Eial Berja monitors his movements from a screen.
"We have had winds, waves and rains where you can't see anything, we are alone in the middle of the ocean," says Berja, who said that a few days ago a storm almost put an end to the plan. Koch receives food from the surface and is visited by a doctor and his two children. "The last time I looked he was still married," he jokes about the upcoming visit from his Thai wife.
"We decided to go for the Guinness record to show the world that it is possible to innovate and live underwater," Canadian Grant Romundt told AFP, with whom Koch founded a company that has already built three floating houses in that area of the Panamanian Caribbean.
Whether he wins the Guinness World Record or not, Koch is clear about the first thing he will do when he emerges from his voluntary confinement: "I'm going to take a good shower, for about an hour."
