Jacques Cousteau's Grandson Starts 31 Days Underwater at Aquarius Lab

Jun 02, 2014 07:38 AM EDT | Matt Mercuro

The grandson of the great 20th-century oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau will attempt to break the record for human endurance underwater.

The record is currently held by his grandfather.

Fabien Cousteau is going to try spending 31 days under the ocean waves off the coast of Florida, which would be one day longer than Jacques, according to ABC News.

The "aquanauts" will try to remain submerged underwater for over a month at the Aquarius laboratory located off the coast of the Key Largo, Florida. The lab is the only underwater facility left in the world and is operated by Florida International University.

It is only 46 feet long, 10 feet wide, and has been used for 21 years by scientists.

Fabien, 45, will have some luxuries that were not available to his grandfather when he set the record back in 1963, near the Port of Sudan in Africa.

The Aquarius undersea laboratory is equipped with wireless internet and air-conditioning, according to ABC News.

Despite that, Fabien feels the record attempt won't be an easy feat, even with modern technology.

"There are a lot of challenges physically and psychologically. The benefit is that the backyard is infinite," Fabien said, according to

Fabien and other scientists will be studying the behavior of pollution, fish, and the impact of climate change upon coral reefs.

He will offer lessons to schoolchildren from a depth of 50-60 meters, where the pressure is around three times greater than in the open air, via Skype, according to ABC News.

"We get to see things in the way you would if you were immersed like a fish," Fabien said. "We're doing something unprecedented. It's the risk of discovery, it's the curiosity, it's the adventure. It's going beyond that box that we always live in and are comfortable with, to learn something new."

The scientists will be joined by a film documentary crew.

Researcher Andrew Shantz, who will spend approximately 17 days in the lab, said that it might not always feel like a world record attempt.

"Day in, day out, our science schedule is pretty repetitive," said Shantz, according to ABC News. "I think the documentary guys are going to get bored."

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