Fabien Cousteau, the grandson of legendary French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, emerged from the deep today after 31 days in an undersea lab off the Florida Keys.
The 46-year-old Cousteau -- whose efforts bested a 30-day mark set by his grandfather a half-century ago -- and his "Mission 31" team returned to Islamorada at about 10:00 am.
"I'm feeling great. A little torn. Missed the friends and family," the smiling scientist, who was wearing a white shirt over the top of his wetsuit, said in brief comments to reporters before stepping back onto dry land.
Members of his team cheered and greeted him with hugs at the coastal Florida International University facility that operates the bus-sized Aquarius Reef Base undersea research laboratory, the only one of its kind.
Cousteau was expected to recount his undersea adventure to reporters later in the day.
The goal of the 31-day mission launched on June 1 -- conducted at 20 meters below the surface -- was to observe marine life, the effects of pollution on coral and how long-term underwater stays affect people.
Scientists took daily diving trips outside the lab to carry out experiments also focused on climate change and ocean acidification.
Cousteau told AFP before the mission that he was seeking to honour the legacy of his grandfather, who spent 30 days under the Red Sea in the early 1960s -- one of his many pioneering ocean voyages.
The elder Cousteau used footage from that experience in his Oscar-winning documentary "World Without Sun," one of his many films. Jacques Cousteau died in 1997.
Fabien Cousteau allowed ocean enthusiasts to follow his mission in real time via the Internet -- a live feed at www.Mission-31.Com.
He conducted educational seminars with schools, museums and aquariums from the undersea lab.
"It is like living in a very small apartment with five of your new best friends" but with very high humidity, he said at the start of the adventure.
He and his team had to undergo 16 hours of decompression before returning to the surface.
