Blaine begins a very wet week

Take a deep breath. David Blaine’s latest stunt is spending a week living in an 8-foot acrylic sphere filled with water.

The 33-year-old magician, shirtless and with an oxygen tube in his mouth, slid into his snow globe-like “human aquarium” Monday at Lincoln Center in New York City.

In a week, he will remove the device and attempt to hold his breath underwater longer than the record of 8 minutes, 58 seconds. He also will try to escape from 150 pounds of chains and handcuffs during the breath-holding finale, which will air next Monday in a two-hour program on ABC, “David Blaine: Drowned Alive.”

Blaine said he started training in December, with some help from U.S. Navy SEALs. He lost 50 pounds so his body would require less oxygen. The water in the sphere will be kept at a balanced temperature to help keep his core temperature near 98.6 degrees. His gear includes a diving helmet that allows two-way communication with his support team.

Blaine has invited visitors to stop by and wave at him. The water should be nice and clear; he will be fed and will, uh, relieve himself through tubes.

His previous feats of endurance include balancing on a small platform for 35 hours, being buried alive in a see-through coffin for a week and surviving inside a massive block of ice for 61 hours. In 2003, he fasted for 44 days in an acrylic box suspended over the Thames River in London.