David Blaine told NY Post columnist Cindy Adams last December that his next public feat of endurance would be to try and attempt to break the world record for staying awake without going insane. His last stunt, in May, 2006, was spending a week inside a water globe displayed at Lincoln Center as crowds lined up to get a chance to press their hands against the glass. He tried to top off his human sea monkey experiment by holding his breath for the longest time for someone who had already been underwater for a while or something, which would have been 8 minutes, 58 seconds. He lasted for 7 minutes and 8 seconds before he started having convulsions and had to be pulled out. Doctors said he suffered liver damage from all that time underwater and that it’s a wonder he didn’t have more serious long term neurological problems.

Somehow Blaine decided to revisit that stunt instead of trying to stay awake, and this time in order to break the record after walking on land he has to hold his breath for an incredible 16 minutes and 32 seconds. He’s going to attempt it live on Oprah today, and has supposedly prepared for months. He’ll breathe pure oxygen for 23 minutes before entering into a “human aquarium” on stage.

I saw a very physically fit and well prepared diver fail at breaking the breath-holding record on live television on the German show “Wetten, Das?” two years ago when the record was set even lower, and I doubt Blaine can do this.

The underwater breath-holding record is an incredibly competitive one
A German diver, Tom Seitas, broke the record in August of 2007 live on the Regis & Kelly show, holding his breath for 15 minutes and 2 seconds.

Seitas has since been bested by a Swiss guy who did it for an incredible 16 minutes and 32 seconds less than three months ago.

According to medical experts, former record holder Seitas has the genetic advantage of having lungs that are 20% larger than the average person. He also credits his success to maintaining complete stillness to preserve oxygen.

It just doesn’t seem like Blaine can do this, especially considering the fact that he claimed to be going for a completely different record just a few months ago. He says he’s ready, though, and that having an audience will help motivate him to break the record.

We’ll have to see how he does today. He’s got to do something to keep himself in the news.

[Details from AP Report. Photos from Blaine’s stunt in May, 2006]