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David Blaine Once Again Blows Our Minds
30-Apr-2008
Written by: Ivana Cheong
Magician David Blaine shattered the world record of holding one’s breath underwater
During a live broadcast this Wednesday on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show, world-renowned magician David Blaine held his breath underwater for 17 minutes and 4 seconds, thus setting a new world record, breaking the previous one for 16 minutes and 32 seconds set earlier this year in Switzerland by Peter Colat.
According to Reuters, this 35-year-old wore a silver wetsuit as he went into a large acrylic sphere filled 1,800 gallons of water. Beforehand, Blaine spent 23 minutes inhaling pure oxygen to flush CO2 from his system. The Guinness World Records allows 30 minutes of “oxygen hyperventilation” before a stunt like this, as reported in the Associated Press.
Blaine told Winfrey that even if he is known as a magician, his stunts are purely about testing the limits of the human body, as he’s shown in other stunts, such as encasing himself in ice for two and a half days or fasting for 44 days in a box (BBC News).
Reuters reported Blaine was more nervous than excited prior to the stunt, even if it was a lifelong dream for him. He laughed when Oprah asked him if he had a “death wish.” When Oprah asked him what he was thinking during the stunt, he answered, “You.”
He added that he was mindfully conscious the whole time. Blaine said that he reached a meditative state while underwater, but he was aware towards the end of the stunt that his heart was beating irregularly. BBC News wrote that as he was pulled from the water, he wondered if he would achieve this task as he worried that his heart rate was too high.
Two years ago, he attempted to break the underwater-breath-holding record, but failed. But now, he’s succeeded, adding to his impressive résumé of scary, mind-blowing stunts.
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