GASP! I JUST HELD MY BREATH FOR 15 MINS; Brother and sister illusionists claim they smashed record.

Byline: By Keith McLeod

AN ILLUSIONIST yesterday claimed he'd smashed the world record for holding breath underwater.

Arvydas Gaiciunas and his sister Diana were chained to the bottom of a swimming pool in front of hundreds of witnesses.

Diana stayed underwater for 11 minutes and seven seconds while Arvydas managed to hold on for 15 minutes and 58 seconds.

That beat the unofficial world record of 13 minutes 42 seconds set in 1959 by Canadian Robert Foster.

The pair were taken to hospital for tests after Saturday's event at Druskininkai water amusement park in southern Lithuania.

They were said to be in a stable condition last night.

The siblings were chained to a metal frame and inhaled pure oxygen for 40 seconds before they were immersed in the water. Lithuanian TV showed the stunt live, using underwater cameras.

Before the dive, Arvydas said: "I know this is very dangerous, but we are trained for extreme stunts and we will have professional divers watching us."

The brother and sister, both veteran circus performers, spent almost three days frozen in a 12-ton block of ice in 2005.

It was not known last night if the record would be officially verified. The Guinness Book Of Records stopped listing free diving stunts some years ago, fearing people would put their lives at risk.

But free diving groups hold their own records.

World association AIDA's record is held by German Tom Sietas at nine minutes and eight seconds.

American illusionist David Blaine tried to beat that last year.

Submerged in an 8ft water-filled sphere in New York for a planned seven days and seven nights, he used tubes for air and nutrition.

He then tried to hold his breath underwater, while freeing himself from handcuffs and chains.

But Blaine had trouble escaping from the last of the handcuffs. He held his breath for seven minutes and 33 seconds before being pulled up by support divers.

Foster set the unofficial world record in San Rafael, California.

He stayed under 10ft of water in a pool and hyperventilated with oxygen for 30 minutes before his bid.

CAPTION(S):

ATTEMPT: David Blaine; COMING UP FOR AIR: Arvydas, main image, and Diana, below. They were taken to hospital NEWS BRIDGEPIX/ BARCROFT MEDIA/ BIG PICTURES.COM

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Publication:	Daily Record (Glasgow, Scotland)
Date:	Jun 18, 2007
Words:	376
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