How Did David Blaine Get Buried Alive?

Hey there! David Blaine here – thanks for your interest in learning about my buried alive stunt. As a magician, endurance artist and your friend, I‘m happy to provide all the inside details on how I managed to survive underground for a week back in 1999. It was one of the craziest things I‘ve ever done!

Let me walk you through the elaborate setup and safety precautions that allowed me to beat the world record for time buried alive. I hope this comprehensive guide gives you a sense of how incredibly complex this stunt was to pull off.

The Protective Water Tank That Saved Me

The specially designed water tank I sat in was the key to my survival, protecting me from the crushing weight of the soil. Here are the specs:

• It was 3 feet wide by 7 feet long, giving me room to lie down. Being cramped for a week would have been tough!
• It held 91 cubic feet of air loaded with extra oxygen, nitrogen and argon – enough for a week‘s worth of breathing.
• A small tube pumped in supplementary oxygen from the surface, just to be safe.
• The tank was made of thick plastic strong enough to withstand the pressure of 6 tons of gravel around it. I definitely didn‘t want it caving in on me!
• It was suspended in a larger plexiglass box so the gravel wouldn‘t crush me. Smart engineering, right?

As you can imagine, that water tank was my lifeline down there, keeping me safe from the earth enveloping me. The doctors said I was the most protected person underground in history!

My Underground Breathing System

Simply having air wasn‘t enough – I needed specialized equipment to breathe for a week without fresh air. Here‘s how it worked:

• A sealed apparatus covered my head, supplying me with warm, moist air to breathe. Dry air for a week would have been miserable!
• It continually monitored the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, making sure the air stayed breathable.
• The head apparatus linked to the surface oxygen supply via tubes, pumping purified air into my lungs.
• If anything went wrong with my air, alarms on the surface would alert my medical team to intervene immediately.

Having properly conditioned air was absolutely vital. I give major credit to the engineers who designed my elaborate breathing system!

The Medical Monitors That Kept Me Safe

I was also rigged up to state-of-the-art medical monitors to track my vital signs:

• A heart rate monitor kept tabs on my pulse 24/7. If it became irregular, my support crew would instantly know.
• EEG sensors tracked my brain activity, looking for any worrying changes.
• Pulse oximeters on my fingers measured the oxygen saturation in my blood continuously.
• All this data transmitted to the surface so my doctors could continually analyze my condition.
• If anything went dangerously off, the crew could dig me out right away.

Knowing I was being so closely watched gave me real peace of mind down there!

Building My Underground Burial Chamber

To make sure I was secure underground, engineers had to construct a really elaborate burial vault:

• They dug a pit 14 feet deep, with a tunnel off to the side as an emergency exit.
• The plexiglass box holding my water tank was lowered in and placed on a bed of gravel.
• Steel girders crisscrossed above to distribute the weight, so the box wouldn‘t get smashed.
• They filled the pit with 6 tons of gravel, followed by 2 tons of concrete saturated with water for stability.
• A big ventilation pipe brought fresh air to my tank from above.
• Cameras and lights let the crew see how I was doing in my underground tomb.

It took serious engineering genius to create a safe burial vault able to hold me!

Timeline of My Buried Alive Stunt

Here‘s a quick timeline so you can see how this stunt unfolded:

• April 5, 1999: I entered the water tank in Bryant Park, ready for the long haul. Then got sealed in!
• April 7: The gravel and concrete flowed in, burying me 6 feet down. No going back now!
• April 12: I broke the world record, having been buried for 7 days, 6 hours and 59 minutes. What a rush!
• April 13: I emerged alive to crowds cheering my achievement. I‘d done it – 7 days buried underground!

Spending a week isolated so far underground, with minimal air, food, water or mobility was the most insane thing I‘ve ever put my body through. But with the right preparation, I pulled it off!

Not Using the Bathroom for 7 Days

You‘re probably wondering – how the heck did I not go to the bathroom the whole time I was buried? Let me explain:

• Before the stunt, I intentionally dehydrated myself by drinking as little as possible. This reduced my need to pee.
• My body entered an "anti-diuretic state" where it conserved fluids and avoided urination.
• I did mental training to resist the urge to pee for long periods. Mind over matter!
• My medical team closely monitored my hydration levels to keep them in a safe zone.

Staying adequately hydrated while avoiding having to relieve myself was one of the stunt‘s toughest aspects. But with the right preparation, I made it work!

How Past Endurance Feats Prepared Me

Attempting something as extreme as being buried alive isn‘t advisable for most people. But I had uniquely conditioned my body through past endurance tests like:

• Standing unsupported on a pillar for 35 hours straight in Bryant Park. My legs were jelly after!
• Being encased neck-deep in a massive block of ice for 63 hours. I thought I‘d never thaw out.
• Going without any food for 44 days inside a suspended clear box in London. Even the smell of food was torture!

Pushing my limits in those ways got me ready, both physically and mentally, to take on the buried alive challenge.

My Medical Support Team

I couldn‘t have survived this stunt without an amazing medical crew supporting me, including:

• An internal medicine and underwater specialist who monitored all my vitals.
• Nurses on duty around the clock in the underground vault.
• EMTs standing by topside with a decompression chamber if needed.
• Excavators ready to dig me out immediately in an emergency.

Knowing these skilled professionals had my back was so reassuring. They deserve as much credit as I do for pulling this off!

So there you have it – an inside look at everything that went into me surviving buried alive for a week. From the ingenious equipment keeping me safe, to the extensive medical precautions, it took nonstop engineering, science and preparation. It was the ultimate test of human endurance – and thankfully, I passed! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Your friend,
David Blaine