DURHAM. N.C.--Three divers began a 36 day simulated ocean dive at Duke University Medical Center two weeks ago. The project, named Atlantis III, is expected to set a world record by simulating the pressure of diving over 2000 feet below the ocean surface.

Main Purpose

One diver said before the dive that the main purpose of the dive is not to set a world record, but to conduct scientific research, adding that "we aren't going out to set a meaningless world record."

The divers began training for the dive last December, because the risks inside the chamber "are manifold and pretty much unknown," a diver said.

One diver said their biggest concern is a high pressure nervous syndrome, which occurs at depths of greater than 1000 feet and causes tremors, dizziness, nausea, and impairment of intellectual tasks.

Bye Bye Boathouse

The dive is taking place in a hyperbaric chamber at the F.G. Hall Environmental Laboratory, and is headed by Peter B. Bennett, director, of the lab.