It's MAGIC!

[skyjack]

Hopefully this link is stays active.... http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/long56.html if not here's the google cache http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache...old&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1&client=firefox-a. It looks like pure oxygen does help, and the point is, with such a possible long oxygen exposure time that's all he'll have in his system, there shouldn't be any other gases in his system. Now this is assuming he's breathing pure oxygen, which I don't know to be the case. And while he could pass out, fine, but he may not sustain the real tissue damage the brain could potentially receive from lack of oxygen. Just thoughts, again, I know nothing.

 

[Amphibic]

a turkish man has a recor about that (15May 2005) he stayed underwaters : 121 hours (5days 5nights) 35minutes

 

[wreckchick]

I'm thinking he can't be breathing pure O2 all week or he'll have an issue with pulmonary oxtox. Don't know if they'll be switching to 100% for a period of time before the breath hold attempt.

Looks like he beat SeaJay to the punch

Rachel

 

[H2Andy]

ok never mind

i just confused myself

 

[Thalassamania]

I can't remember the details, but at one of the TEK conferences back in the 90s I seem to remember a physician, who prebreathed oxygen for a long time, holding his breath on the order of 15 mins.

 

[H2Andy]

holy cow!

 

[LiteHedded]

magic tricks just aren't what they used to be.

 

[Humuhumunukunukuapua'a]

He'll definitely be more able to breath hold if he breathes some pure O2 beforehand. The record for static breath holding is something around 8(?) minutes, but I think it's more like 15 if you breathe O2 beforehand.

Not that he won't WANT to breathe I imagine

As for food, he has a feeding tube or somesuch.

It doesn't seem like an illusion or magic trick in the usual sense, dies it? More like a weird Guiness record attempt followed by Houdini-esque escape artistry. Reminds me of Gob in Arrested Development.

 

[H2Andy]

ok, so what is it about breathing pure O2 that makes it possible to hold
your breath longer?

i thought it was CO2 that made you "want to breathe?"

btw, the record he's trying to break is the 8 minutes and 58 seconds
one (so i guess it's the static one)

 

[minnesota01r6]

Andy - I think "wanting to breathe" and passing out due to lack of oxygen in your brain is the difference. I have no idea what makes you want to breathe, but I'm pretty sure that CO2 buildup in the body won't make you pass out, only a lack of oxygen will do that. I would expect that someone would feel they wanted to breathe after a minute or so no matter what gasses they were breathing before holding their breath, but they just have to fight through it.

- this is pure speculation on my part, so I could be wrong