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David Blaine (born David Blaine White; April 4, 1973) is an American magician, illusionist and endurance artist. He is best known for his high-profile feats of endurance, and has made his name as a performer of street and close-up magic. He has performed all over the world and has set and broken several world records.

(Wikipedia)

In this TED Talk video, Blaine describes what it took to hold his breath underwater for 17 minutes.

What's fishy about this: Not only is Blaine an endurance artist, he's also a magician and illusionist. How can we know that Blaine really held his breath for 17 minutes? Do biologists/scientists think it is possible to do it?

rjzii
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George Chalhoub
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    What would it take to convince you either way? Would evidence that Guinness accepted it as a record be sufficient? Would an example of someone else faking the skill convince you? (I renew my long-term objection to debunking magicians.) – Oddthinking Aug 09 '14 at 15:41
  • In what way would reliable testimony that it *had happened* be different from *"scientific proof that it's possible with no brain damage"*. In otherwords: what would it take to convince you either way? – dmckee --- ex-moderator kitten Aug 09 '14 at 18:56
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    Hey all, it doesnt matter what would convince the OP. If there is evidence that david blaine did this, present it. If there is evidence that he faked it, present it. –  Aug 09 '14 at 19:12
  • @Articuno: Because the question isn't great as it stands. Historically, good magicians have used authorities to verify their claims to make their magic appear more impressive. If Guinness authorities are considered sufficiently diligent to rule out trickery, Larry OBrien's answer is sufficient. If people are skeptical of that (and I saw people on the web who were) we have the problem of it being unanswerable. – Oddthinking Aug 10 '14 at 00:52
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    The record is now 22 minutes which should add some credibility to Blane’s claim (that Guinness records substantiated). – Robert James Barnes Jan 03 '20 at 05:56

2 Answers2

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Yes. David Blaine was recognized by Guiness as setting the world record for static apnea with O₂ in 2008. He held that record for several months.

Blaine set the record on the Oprah Winfrey Show; a video of the last few minutes can be found on the show's site.

One can hold one's breath for much longer if one breathes pure oxygen prior to the apnea. The Guinness record is now over 22 minutes (see link above). Enriched-gas breath holds are not one of the disciplines recognized by AIDA but Blaine's record can be put in perspective against the "normal" air record for "static apnea" of 11m 35s.

Blaine set his O₂-based record some time after failing to break the then-current 8m 58s static apnea record after spending 7 days submerged in New York City. While with a magician it would be foolish to rule out chicanery, his NYC failure and O₂-based record seem consistent with his claim of being (in addition to an illusionist) an endurance athlete with a very high level of discipline.

Apnea and extreme freediving are dangerous and even world-class athletes have died during record attempts.

A paper "Brain Damage in Competitive Freediving" says:

It is not possible to conclude that the observed increase in S100B levels in serum in the present study reflects a serious injury to the brain, although the results raise some concerns considering negative long-term effects.

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Larry OBrien
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    I believe that 11m 35s record holder has unusually large lung volume. Close to double the average person. –  Aug 09 '14 at 23:03
  • I found that Wikipedia page in my hunting around, but I couldn't find a citation that mentioned Blaine. – Oddthinking Aug 10 '14 at 00:53
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    Blaine's attempt is ref'd on that Wikipedia page as "17:04 David Blaine 30 April 2008 Chicago, USA Guinness" – Larry OBrien Aug 10 '14 at 01:01
  • Sorry if I was unclear. Yes, Wikipedia says that, but it doesn't seem to provide a reference for that, so there's little reason to trust it. – Oddthinking Aug 11 '14 at 11:16
  • You can read a bit more about David Blaine's history as an endurance artist and his preparations in Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney's book, "Willpower". Interestingly enough, his Oprah attempt apparently started out very badly and he expected to fail shortly after beginning. – Sean Duggan Aug 11 '14 at 12:20
  • I recall ca 1970 seeing a some sort of a science documentary on TV where military personnel (I'm thinking submarine crew members) were being trained how to escape from a submerged chamber, riding up a cable with a sort of air sack to breathe from. Overseeing the activity (and rescuing panicked trainees) were trainers who floated outside the escape chamber, with no hoses or other equipment, and who reportedly could be "useful" in this capacity for in excess of 5 minutes, and as much as 10. With the right genetics and the right training 17 minutes should be quite possible. – Daniel R Hicks Aug 13 '18 at 01:30
  • Update: FWIW, I witnessed Blaine do a 10 minute O2 breath-hold in 2017. It was 100% consistent w my experience as a freediver -- he breathed up using a regulator, he experienced diaphragm spasms, and during a Q&A afterwards he was 100% open about using oxygen rather than air and the difference between the two types of breath-hold. There was no "floating to the top" to get touched by an assistant. Again: of course it MAY have been a trick. – Larry OBrien Aug 27 '18 at 23:54
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No.

As explained in this video, Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed, the trick is a breathing tube secreted on an assistant who touches him when he floats to the top partway through the act.

Playwright, journalist, and theatre reviewer, Elain Liner uses the same video to support her claim that Blaine uses trickery. In her Dallas Observer review, she writes:

Would Blaine make it to 12 minutes without breathing, risking brain-damaging hypoxia? Of course, he would. Because he doesn't actually hold his breath that long. No human being can. It's a trick. One that's well-known in the magic biz. If you've ever watched that Fox TV show starring "The Masked Magician," you might have seen this episode, which revealed how the water tank illusion is done. Hint: A carefully concealed oxygen tube is involved. That rabbinical beard Blaine wears is good for camouflage. And if you looked closely at the overhead screen as he emerged from the tank last night, wasn't it odd how dry his hair was?

Oddthinking
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    Note: We don't know whether this technique was used in the Guinness-verified attempt, or just on-stage. Also, if this *were* the technique he used, Liner's comment about dry hair makes no sense - his hair would be wet. – Oddthinking Aug 13 '18 at 05:13
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    It turns out there are a few deleted answers that tried to use the same reference. I wrote in January 2015: "On the one side, we have professional witnesses saying it wasn't trickery, and athletes with similar performances. On the other, we have a magician probably capable of tricking authorities, and other magicians revealing it is possible to fake (but we don't know if the witnesses precluded this technique.) Short of a confession, I can't see how this question is ever answerable." – Oddthinking Aug 13 '18 at 05:17