Today and Oprah David Blaine set the new world record for holing ones breath underwater. The old world record was 16 minutes and 32 seconds but David set the new time of 17 minutes and 4 seconds.

While I was watching it I had no idea if he was actually going to make it or not. Just 30 seconds before he beat the record he moved up to just below the surface of the water and I thought “oh this is it, he’s not going to do it”. He managed to break the record though and last a bit longer. David was even really impressed with himself because his heart rate was so much faster than what he’s used to. He said he was nervious about the audience and being aware of breaking the record. I’m glad he was able to do it, I find his stunts inspirational.

You can read more on about.com, Reuters and Oprah.com.