# My theory about David Blaine Drowned Alive **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 4, 2006, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-theory-about-david-blaine-drowned-alive/355410 "2006-05-04T16:43:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-theory-about-david-blaine-drowned-alive/355410/1 "2006-05-04T16:43:14Z")
Here’s a [blog](http://72.32.48.156/blog/?sectionid=1) about his latest stunt. Anyway, my theory is he could last 15 minutes easily if the “water” was actually that oxygenated breathable liquid that was used in _The Abyss_. Is there an easy to tell if he’s floating in water or something else? ---
**Author:** ![samm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@samm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samm)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-theory-about-david-blaine-drowned-alive/355410/2 "2006-05-04T16:45:10Z")
I thought it was only for 9 minutes. My question is: HOW can they turn this into a 2 hour special? Excuse me, TV Event? ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-theory-about-david-blaine-drowned-alive/355410/3 "2006-05-04T16:52:22Z")
> [@The Controvert](#): > > Here’s a [blog](http://72.32.48.156/blog/?sectionid=1) about his latest stunt. Anyway, my theory is he could last 15 minutes easily if the “water” was actually that oxygenated breathable liquid that was used in _The Abyss_. Or if he had gills like in The Man From Atlantis. Unfortunately, both are works of fiction. Most likely, the water will be ice-cold, and he’ll have some sort of restraints or weights so that he won’t have to move to keep himself submerged, he’ll breathe pure oxygen beforehand, and he’ll hold his breath and think airy thoughts. It’s [been done for almost 13 minutes](http://www.divernet.com/news/stories/breath170603.shtml) , so certainly David Blaine can pull it off for 15. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-theory-about-david-blaine-drowned-alive/355410/4 "2006-05-04T16:58:00Z")
> [@samm](#): > > I thought it was only for 9 minutes. My question is: HOW can they turn this into a 2 hour special? Excuse me, TV Event? Apparently he’ll have been living underwater with air and food tubes for some days before that, and unplugging the tubes for 8+ minutes will be the grand finale. I didn’t realize it’s only 8 minutes… while it’s not something I personally would do, apparently people have done it with no special equipment or supplementation. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-theory-about-david-blaine-drowned-alive/355410/5 "2006-05-04T16:58:01Z")
I’m guessing that there’s some sort of trick involved, and a really sneaky one that nobody has figured out yet, otherwise it’d be all over the internet, and that he is quite unlikely to be shown drowning to death at the end of a 2-hour special, although that would be _awesome._ “And… that’s a wrap!” blub blub… fade to black… ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-theory-about-david-blaine-drowned-alive/355410/6 "2006-05-04T17:16:44Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > I’m guessing that there’s some sort of trick involved… [sarcasm] Gee _really_? Ya think? The professional magician is gonna use a _trick_? What are the odds? [/sarcasm] While the process is apparently not developed enough to sustain human life a la The Abyss, [liquid breathing](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_breathing) does exist. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-theory-about-david-blaine-drowned-alive/355410/7 "2006-05-04T17:23:47Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > Gee _really_? Ya think? The professional magician is gonna use a _trick_? What are the odds? Well, yes **Otto**. Magician is really a misnomer. A more correct term would be prestsdigtate… > [@](#): > > [/sarcasm] Oh. Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-theory-about-david-blaine-drowned-alive/355410/8 "2006-05-04T18:00:12Z")
Breathing the liquid would be more interesting than holding his breath, I doubt they’d hide it if that’s what they were doing. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-theory-about-david-blaine-drowned-alive/355410/9 "2006-05-04T18:05:40Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Breathing the liquid would be more interesting than holding his breath, I doubt they’d hide it if that’s what they were doing. umm… no, actually. If he said he was going to do it, then the majority of his viewing audience would be all “Hey, they did that in _The Abyss,_ and that was years ago… boring.” Even if it’s not true; they saw it in a movie and it’s not that big a deal. ---
**Author:** ![Cordial\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/94ad74/32.png) [@Cordial\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cordial_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-theory-about-david-blaine-drowned-alive/355410/10 "2006-05-04T18:14:02Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > [sarcasm] > > Gee _really_? Ya think? The professional magician is gonna use a _trick_? What are the odds? > > [/sarcasm] > > While the process is apparently not developed enough to sustain human life a la The Abyss, [liquid breathing](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_breathing) does exist. There is no “trick” involved. He will attempting to break the World Record for holding your breath underwater: 8 min. 58 secs. David Blaine _is_ a magician, but he also does some pretty amazing feats of endurance: buried alive for seven days, spending 61 hours encased in ice, standing on a tiny platform at the top of a 100 foot high pole for 35 hours, and living in a transparent Perspex (Plexiglas) box for 44 days without food (over the Thames). There is no trickery involved in these kinds of things. The guy is amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Cordial\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/94ad74/32.png) [@Cordial\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cordial_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-theory-about-david-blaine-drowned-alive/355410/11 "2006-05-04T18:20:02Z")
Upon further review, I stand corrected. If he does go longer than 8 min. 58 secs. it won’t be officially recognized as a World Record, because it can’t be verified that he didn’t intake pure oxygen less than two hours before hand. The pure oxygen record is 15 minutes. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-theory-about-david-blaine-drowned-alive/355410/12 "2006-05-04T18:23:46Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > umm… no, actually. If he said he was going to do it, then the majority of his viewing audience would be all “Hey, they did that in _The Abyss,_ and that was years ago… boring.” > > Even if it’s not true; they saw it in a movie and it’s not that big a deal. Well, they’ve seen people hold their breath before, too. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-theory-about-david-blaine-drowned-alive/355410/13 "2006-05-04T18:25:00Z")
I agree that there probably is no trick per say. Blaine is like a human body hacker that looks to exploit exploits of physiology to pull off seemingly superhuman endurance stunts. They aren’t really superhuman since he still is but they are still pretty impressive if you appreciate what he is doing. He is using every known tactic to break the breath holding record. Part of that is staying underwater for an impressive length of time beforehand. The part I really want to know is how he is going to keep his skin from swelling up and falling off during all that time? ---
**Author:** ![Tappi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/848f3c/32.png) [@Tappi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tappi)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-theory-about-david-blaine-drowned-alive/355410/14 "2006-05-04T18:27:46Z")
Indeed I believe it is a feat of endurance rather than a magic trick. I have many unflattering comments to make about the man himself but this is not the place for such things. What confuses me is what is supposed to be so impressive about the seven days leading up to the record attempt, isn’t it akin to sitting in the bath for 7 days? He is receiving nutrition through a tube so no huge deal there, he is just wallowing in his own filth for a week then holding his breath, isn’t he? ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-theory-about-david-blaine-drowned-alive/355410/15 "2006-05-04T18:52:30Z")
> [@Tappi](#): > > What confuses me is what is supposed to be so impressive about the seven days leading up to the record attempt, isn’t it akin to sitting in the bath for 7 days? He is receiving nutrition through a tube so no huge deal there, he is just wallowing in his own filth for a week then holding his breath, isn’t he? Are you an engineer? Thatm statement reminds me why sales people don’t like to take engineers on customer visists. “It’s not really new and improved, we actually just fixed some bugs, changed the name, and painted it a different color”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-theory-about-david-blaine-drowned-alive/355410/16 "2006-05-04T19:11:32Z")
> [@Brain Wreck](#): > > Or if he had gills like in The Man From Atlantis. Unfortunately, both are works of fiction. > > Most likely, the water will be ice-cold, and he’ll have some sort of restraints or weights so that he won’t have to move to keep himself submerged, he’ll breathe pure oxygen beforehand, and he’ll hold his breath and think airy thoughts. It’s [been done for almost 13 minutes](http://www.divernet.com/news/stories/breath170603.shtml) , so certainly David Blaine can pull it off for 15. According to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid_breathing), breathable liquids are not fiction. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-theory-about-david-blaine-drowned-alive/355410/17 "2006-05-04T19:17:35Z")
> [@bup](#): > > According to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid_breathing), breathable liquids are not fiction. Yeah, you know, I’d [heard that somewhere before](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7362084&postcount=6). Seriously, am I invisible? Because that would be a much better trick than holding my breath for 9 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-theory-about-david-blaine-drowned-alive/355410/18 "2006-05-04T19:17:43Z")
Can someone enlighten me as to why they have the Lincoln Center as “L\*\*\*\*\*n Center” on that blog? ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-theory-about-david-blaine-drowned-alive/355410/19 "2006-05-04T19:28:25Z")
> [@Tappi](#): > > he is just wallowing in his own filth for a week then holding his breath, isn’t he? Nah, they’ve got tubes for that too, which is why I’m now coining the phrase “Blow it out your poop tube.” ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-theory-about-david-blaine-drowned-alive/355410/20 "2006-05-04T19:35:34Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > Yeah, you know, I’d [heard that somewhere before](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7362084&postcount=6). > > Seriously, am I invisible? Because that would be a much better trick than holding my breath for 9 minutes. Sorry. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-theory-about-david-blaine-drowned-alive/355410.md?page=2)