After spending 31 days living under the sea, marine explorer Fabien Cousteau has surfaced, like a fish out of water.

He’s beaten the previous record of 30 days under the ocean set in 1963 by his grandfather.

“The record was never really the focal point. I knew it was a hook, I knew that symbolic one extra day would get people’s attention, curiosity at the very least,” explained Cousteau.

Speaking about his late grandfather, famed French oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, he added: “I think what he’d probably be most proud of is that we were able to reach so many people.

“The goal was to symbolically reach 331 million around the world. We hit all six continents, and we are waiting for the metrics, but I believe we are way beyond that,” added Cousteau.

His underwater home, an 18-metre long laboratory submerged near Key Largo, was air conditioned, with wireless internet access, a shower, a bathroom and six bunks as well a great marine view from this porthole.

The team ventured outside several times every day to get a closer look at marine life and collect samples from coral reefs.

While Cousteau’s goal was to attract more support for ocean conservation, scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northeastern University rotated through the laboratory studying the impact of changing seas on underwater life.