David Blaine again!

[trux]

... primarily as a way to replace commercial scuba divers with freedivers.

Yes, that's a great idea (although I am not sure if possible). It is true that it would allow extremely quick operations, so it would be especially interesting for emergencies. Just dropping the diver with a fast sled, scooter, or an open minisub to the spot, and then pulling him quick back to the surface again. Where a tech diver would need for such extreme dive + deco probably a full day + long planning and preparation + complex and expensive technical backing, with a freediver it could be done within a few minutes, and with negligible material costs.

That assumes though that with the method you work on, the diver could stay a couple of minutes at the bottom to perform some work (possibly physically and/or mentally demanding). If you count on emptying the lungs during the descent (similarly as Herbert does), minimizing so the gaseous oxygen volume, and avoiding the creation of free oxygen radicals and their toxicity in that depth, then do you think the diver would be really able to work down for more than a very short moment?

I also wonder if, besides the toxicity, also the narcotic effect of oxygen would not play a role. But if the volume of gaseous oxygen (and that dissolved in liquids) was really low, then perhaps it would not matter either (I assume that O2 bound to hemoglobin poses no toxic or narcotic risk, but am not entirely sure if it is really true for both). Did you find some studies about similar or related experiments (oxygen under great PP), Eric?

 

[Whopperhead]

For those who haven't seen it yet- and want to:

 

[trux]

Thanks for the links. Whopperhead!

I am rather surprised Blaine was allowed by Guinness judges making the breath-up and the final breath + packing under water. Well, the depth was not big (the lungs just in about 1m below the surface), but it already means he could inhale around 10% more oxygen. Now, I did not see the last record of Peter Colat, but at all the O2 records of Tom Sietas, he started on the surface and not below it. It does not seem to be very fair, but then again Guinness is no authority, and they have no clue, so I doubt they care whether their records are done in equal and fair conditions.

 

[efattah]

The old 1950's record of 13 minutes and some seconds (Guinness) was done at the bottom of the deep end of a swimming pool, with the diver breathing 100% O2 at the bottom of the pool, and taking the last breath down there as well. That would give much more advantage than what Blaine did.

 

[SEDATE]

it is very good illusion
He leave out something ..There is no jelly which can stand 23min+17min=40min in water ..When you use hardest one..the water will solve after 3 or 5 min ..xea water will start immediatly
after he sit on tube(before he start speaking) .it is easy to see shining jelly consist of brillantine on his head
There was a smillar trick on tv before.he stayed in tube 20 min here.. My idea there was another tube in tube. i smiled too much.. at the end he shaked his hand like blaine.. he is not good at david copirfield but not bad
Blain looks clever he is not acting quickly but not acting slowly, too. he is jumping on side of the tube using his hand after xxx min breathold : D
meanwhile there should be 4 camera front-side-up and very close one to blain face(i mean head shot cam) ..anyway.. it is so-so good trick