Australian emerges after two weeks in underwater box

Australian emerges after two weeks in underwater box

Doesn't sound like all that much fun, but cool nonetheless:

An Australian adventurer emerged from the bottom of a lake yesterday after spending nearly two weeks living underwater, riding a bike to generate electricity and using algae to produce oxygen. ...

Breathing air provided by algae soaked in his own urine, "aquanaut" Lloyd Godson spent 12 days living in a yellow steel capsule submerged in a flooded gravel pit.

The 29-year-old's claustrophobic ordeal was intended to shed light on the practical and psychological challenges of living in an alien environment.

His temporary home, a 10ft long box, was billed as "the world's first self-sufficient, self-sustaining underwater habitat." ... The marine biologist used a system of onshore solar panels and a pedal-powered generator to create electricity and recharge his water-proof laptop computer.

He kept an algae garden to absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen for breathing.

A team of divers delivered food and drinking water to the sub through a manhole, including a homemade lasagna and freshly barbecued salmon.

For entertainment, Godson watched videos on his laptop and used a wireless Internet connection to communicate with schoolchildren around the world.

The 29-year-old scientist won funding for the project by winning a £20,000 contest called "Live Your Dream" sponsored by the magazine Australian Geographic.