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[News] Famed Magician In Freediving World Record Stunt

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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Neshamah, are you trying to get a high post rating?

Someone knows if there will be a live online video streem on some website about this?
 
So what's the real endurance test... 7 Days of sitting in an aquarium or 7 days of answering the same questions to the press over and over and over. It sounds like Kirk's got the real endurance test going.
 
Somehow lost Eric's challenge to someone who claimed David Blaine was cheating or using illusion. As a magician/illusionist as well as a world class endurance performer, I have to agree with the persion Eric challenged. Eric, you even said that 'you can find the evidence everywhere', but failed to give even one link.

Regarding the 44 day London glass tank 'fast', whilst it was a great stunt (in my opinion), I haven't seen any 'evidence' that he survived only on water. In fact David himself seemed quite cleverly evasive and the medical report doesn't mention it. In fact the report shows how well he'd been, suggesting that he might have cheated. I believe the report could not verify (or otherwise) any additional intake and wasn't to my knowledge a part of the veryfying team during the stunt. Many have suggested that he was given additives in his water tube. Unless there were an independent team (and if true, why not?!), then one can not verify sole pure water. If we can, then we must, by the same rules, allow his breath hold, if sucessful, to stand with equal non verification.

Again, there is no doubt that David Blaine is one of the best mind over matter endurance performers in the world, maybe THE best (such variety and he seems to outstrip any verifiable Asian Hindu endurance performances, even if he cheats), but one must consider, with suspicion, any non independent verifiers.

So Eric, whilst I think I make myself clear, that whilst a fan of David's, I am open but sceptical about his 44 day fast on pure water alone without any evidence. I have not seen any medical report that shows test results (rather than a vague opinion or non medical claim) about his ice stunt ending in hypothermia.

And I do not believe that he will surpass Tom Sietas' record on natural air from his own lungs. Oxygen tends to double a breath hold, but from under water, maybe even more, though knock some time off for pressure of audience, not relaxing, time spent in water, escaping from chains etc. Even on oxygen, he's pushing it for 9 mins, but well over double Tom's record has been achieved with oxygen assistance (and over 15 mins on TV).

I'd be interested to know what actual (not claimed) time David can do. I'd guess 5-6 mins on air.

Over to you Eric, for independent evidence that David Blaine did NOT cheat.

Steve
 
Just found it. Re: Post 30 in this thread, regarding my last. Thanks.

PS Eric. Wouldn't losing a lot of weight happen anyway when you don't eat much for so long? And as everyone's metabolic rate differs, it's hard to tell whether he did take suplements or not and it was surprising that the doctors who tested him after his hunger strike/fast did not check (or mention) whether he had ingested anything during the previous month, which I'm sure is possble (and logical?).

Also, (contrary to what you suggest) to go under 8'58" (and fail) would be a great disguise for fobbing off the sceptics who wouyld otherwise go on about oxygen use. Deception and mis-direction is the key to a good magician.

In a nutshell, David may well take advantage of his obvious resilience and will power in order to use additional methods to help himself and thereby create the illusion of it all being natural endurance.

I think the 61+ hours in ice was hard because he stood, but was not as cold as we think as the ice melted (like living in an ice house/igloo.

I think the vertigo stunt (which having hand holds to use when he needed them and being quite a wide platform, had its dangers and was basically for real, as was the premature burial.

Although slightly off the diving issue, Derren Brown (mind control) is a master of deception. You'd be amazed (if you've seen any of his shows) how much magic and how little mind control there really is.
 
The results of the medical tests on David Blaine after the 44-day fast were published in the New England Journal of Medicine:
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/353/21/2306

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had one friend (Lukas Ircha) who fasted on water for 41 days, and another friend Vania Kaady who fasted on water for 40 days (including 7 days without water), so such fasts are not that uncommon.

If you want extreme fasting, look up Hira Ratan Manek who fasted for more than 400 days and lost about the same amount of weight Blaine lost in 44 days.
 
Blaine has a catheter up 'is urethra, fellows. The piss goes into a bag, which is emptied outside the sphere. The water is recirculated, heated and filtered by a very impressive plant ( see my part III with photos).

And check out what the guy's hands look like after only 48 hours.

Those of you who think this is a piece of cake will not get much agreement from the two freediving world champions and their trainer who are on site with Blaine. The guy is a physical dynamo. You try losing 50 lbs of solid muscle in 120 days, all the while doing extreme training and running a substantial business with nights in the edit suite until the sun comes up. Where on earth do people get the idea that making lots of money is easier than not making lots of money ? I don't understand how in hell he's still alive at all !
 
Part 3 is up
Thanks Paul this was a realy exclusive one. His hands look f*** awful. And still more than 4 days to go.

How is the rest of his skin holding up?
 
Hi Sandi,

thanks for the link!

SanSan said:
His hands look f*** awful. And still more than 4 days to go.
How is the rest of his skin holding up?
Click to expand...

There are drysuit gloves with rubber seals - can't he just use one (well, exactly 2 ) of these ?
As far as I remember there was an italian couple who did that for 10 days, in drysuits with wetsuit gloves though. They reported the same problem with the hands yet used lots of Vaseline inside the gloves which seemingly helped.

Veronika
 
SanSan said:
Part 3 is up
Thanks Paul this was a realy exclusive one. His hands look f*** awful. And still more than 4 days to go.

How is the rest of his skin holding up?
Click to expand...

His hands look horrible. I don't see how he can last a week without major damage to his skin. They must of researched this to some extent, i hope.
 
yeah the hands are scary after a short time will that happen to the rest of his body too and how much power/mobility will he have at the end of it.
 
There is some "scary" info in the following ABC report: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=1913767&page=1

If you can watch video online click on the link on the above page called "David Blaine's Breathtaking Stunt" and listen to what David has to say about what his skin is going to be like after a week - he describes it as being like "paper".

And remember this is before he does his breath-hold.
 
Reactions: Adrian
Hi
some of the pics I took yesterday

you can see the director musician wearing a swimming mask you can see the impact of the event- this guy is ready to freedive now instead of playing music ! I told him to pose for me

also a reporter interviewing a kids about what they think about this event
 
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Reactions: Jon
Just saw something funny in that ABC article Stephan posted.

"During the last few minutes of his stay, Blaine will remove his breathing tube and attempt to break the current record for breathing underwater, which is 8 minutes, 58 seconds."

I was under the impression that Freediving was holding your breath, if some of you know how to breathe underwater without any equipment I will be showing up at your home and not leaving until you teach me. :t
 
Is freediving meant to be holding your breath? So all this time I've been breathing underwater, and nobody told me not to?

Seriously, although it remains to be seen what happens with the world record thing, the stunt is amazing. I am also a great admirer of escapology.
 
I have some shocking news which I am now at liberty to reveal, exclusively, in this forum.

You know those Superman movies ? Well, it turns out that the guy who played Superman wasn't really flying !! God, was I shattered when I uncovered this scoop. Sometimes investigative journalism just breaks one's heart.
 
I think Kirk is explaining something about david's hands

the other pic I decided to shot the "flores" rigth across the street
 
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I have a question:

what david decided to be into that esfera for so long as part of the show ??

why he doesn't decided to stay there at least 3 days and they go for the holding 9 minutes breath ??

I do not know- but my faith in this case is poor--

to much day in water and after seeing this pic of david hands?

humm- that scare me !
any way people make decisions- sometime dangers one !
 
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