17 minutes without breathing-NEW World Record

[underpants]

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gxsfhFmW71JZPr4OA8yqHI_v2GQwD90CAQGG0

David Blaine breaks world record for holding one's breath
By TARA BURGHART – 27 minutes ago

CHICAGO (AP) — David Blaine set a new world record Wednesday for breath-holding — 17 minutes and 4 seconds — fulfilling what he said was "a lifelong dream."

The feat was broadcast live during "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and the studio audience cheered as divers pulled the 35-year-old magician from a water-filled sphere 8 feet in diameter. Less than two years ago, Blaine went into convulsions during a similar attempt.

"A lifelong dream," a relaxed-looking Blaine told Winfrey immediately after setting the record. "I can't believe that I did that."

While still underwater, Blaine worried his heart rate might be too high, saying he "actually started to doubt that I was going to make it" as a result. A lower heart rate helps minimize oxygen consumption.

The previous record was 16 minutes and 32 seconds, set Feb. 10 by Switzerland's Peter Colat, according to Guinness World Records.

[TZ]

1. He did this on Oprah? How appropriate

I'm guessing he has suffered brain damage from previous attempts..I would explain all the dumbass stunts he does...

[KitchenWitch]

2. Call me chickenshit, but why would anyone WANT to break that world record?

I kind of like breathing. It is one of my favorite involuntary functions.

[hvn_nbr_2]

14. Only reason I can think of....

He was listening very intently to "Alice's Restaurant" and didn't want to miss one single word or note. :evilgrin: If it was me, I'd listen twice to catch the words I missed the first time.

[deucemagnet]

3. Five more minutes and he would have fulfilled one of my lifelong dreams.

Wanker. x(

[regularguy]

4. Bwahahaha

:thumbsup:

[Richard Steele]

17. Brilliant! nm

[Frank Cannon]

20. heh heh

:D

[petronius]

5. Must have been a boring show - 17 minutes of looking at a guy in an aquarium

It's interesting in an academic sense - the way the human body functions in extreme situations is worth knowing about - but "life-long dream" is a little much. What a dope...

[QMPMom]

6. I'd bet anything he was

somehow using oxygen during his time under water. The human body cannot go without breathing, unless it is in an extreme hypothermic state, for that long. And believe me, he was not in an extreme hypothermic state.

I don't believe it for one minute.

I won't be watching. Oprah is on in a little over an hour here and I am not interested. Of course, if it was Oprah under water for 17 minutes without oxygen, I'd watch. I can't stand her. She believes her own press and is annoying to the extreme.

With her putting crap like this on the air, we can only hope that she is on the slippery slope to SpringerLand and MauryLand. At least, since I don't subscribe to Discovery Health Channel, I won't have to take the time to cancel it once Oprah takes over that network.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

7. I don't think so

not that I doubt YOU but I do doubt that he did without oxygen for 17 minutes.

[Dr. Strange]

9. He was sucking down pure oxygen before the stunt.

So I'm calling shenanigans.

[KitchenWitch]

18. Perhaps he had a few EPO injections beforehand as well.

[Frank Cannon]

21. The Guinness Book allows you to suck oxygen beforehand

Believe it or not, they actually have rules for this particular activity.

[pitohui]

24. well the man is a professional magician

obviously he used his skills to accomplish this feat

i don't think we need to literally believe he went without breathing for 17 minutes, any more than i believe that siegfried and roy used to make white tigers and elephants disappear and re-appear across the room -- even tho i saw this done before my own eyes

[nomorenomore08]

8. Hell, I can't even hold my breath for ONE minute. The "drowning" feeling gets too intense.

nt

[Deja Q]

10. One hell of a dream, holding one's breath...

Most 35 year old magicians would rather hold Oprah's boob and shake their magic wands, but whatever floats his boat...

[nomorenomore08]

11. Ewww... Did we really need that visual?

:puke:

[UndertheOcean]

12. What a douche

[AlCzervik]

13. was someone holding him under, if so i might watch.

[Mojambo]

15. Well, when you don't have many brain cells to worry about losing... n/t

[sammythecat]

16. That seems like a rather strange and pointless "lifelong dream".

I hope someday he sets his sights on something a little more worthwhile.

Maybe it's not the most noble lifelong dream, but congrats to him anyway. That's quite a feat.

[MilesColtrane]

19. He's an illusionist.

Not Aquaman.

Hell, I saw Teller (of Penn & Teller) drown, and it turns out, he's still the very alive 21st century version of Harpo Marx.

[LynzM]

22. Call me the odd man out, here....

But I actually think it'd be pretty neat to have that kind of self-control, mentally and physically. To push yourself to that kind of extreme. Yes, he's an illusionist, so some of the stuff (most?) is certainly illusion. But some of it either is *fantastic* illusion and camerawork (which I'll admit, it could be) or is likewise fantastic self-control of one's body, such as the heatbeat regulation stuff. So, I think it's kind of neat. Call me weird. :P

[Shine]

23. He is fucking freakish

but in a good way. :D

I can't even begin to imagine holding my breath for that long.