US illusionist David Blaine's failure to break the world breath-hold record did not entirely surprise the competitive freediving community.

After spending seven days living in a tank of water in New York, Blaine's attempt to break the 8min 58sec static apnea record held by German freediver Tom Sietas had to be aborted after seven minutes.

Blaine's theory was that his prolonged stay under water would lower his metabolism sufficiently to give him a competitive edge. He had undertaken a training regime similar to that of competitive freedivers, who limit their food intake in the period leading up to an attempt, and use yoga and meditation as well as pre-immersion techniques.

"Traditional apnea preparation includes a period of water immersion, but most divers limit this to between 20 and 45 minutes," Anne-Marie Kitchen-Wheeler, who holds the British women's breath-hold record of 5min 18sec, told Divernet.

"That's because the chilling effect required to gain maximum blood shunt to the brain and heart also causes chilling of the limbs and extremities. This leads to shivering ­ which then speeds up the metabolism."

Medical and diving professionals worked closely with Blaine but began to see problems early on. The illusionist's doctor, Murat Gunel, said there was evidence of liver failure by the second day, but that Blaine had refused to leave the water. Blaine's freediving trainer Kirk Krack told the BBC: "I wasn't focused on records ­ I was thinking of a rescue. If we hadn't intervened, he would still be at the bottom of the sphere."

The number of media representatives and spectators in attendance could not have helped Blaine either, according to Anne-Marie Kitchen-Wheeler. "Good performance in breath-hold is as much a 'mind game' as a physical challenge," she said. "It only takes something little to act as a distraction causing loss of focus, and the will to continue is diminished. This is an event where athletes need to be focused far away from events surrounding them.

Perhaps David didn't get the balance right ­ or was tired from the extended immersion."


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