Illusionist and magician David Blaine flew 24,900 feet above the Arizona desert on a batch of 52 balloons in his latest daring stunt.
The 47-year-old’s ‘Ascension’ stunt kicked off in Page, Arizona on Wednesday morning.
The stunt, which was livestreamed on YouTube, saw Blaine float 24,000 feet in the air held up by 52 helium-filled balloons. He had estimated he would reach about 18,000 feet.
After reaching 24,000 feet, Blaine – who had a parachute attached to him – skydived back down.
The stunt lasted about an hour.
Shortly after taking off, Blaine slowly started dropping five pound weights to ascend even higher. The illusionist, who had an oxygen mask throughout, was climbing at about 500 feet a minute throughout.
At about 8,000 feet, Blaine started strapping himself into a parachute.
He released himself from the balloons at an altitude of 24,900 feet.
His nine-year-old daughter Dessa watched on from the ground and spoke to him several times while he was in the air.
Immediately after landing, he spoke to his daughter telling her: ‘I love you. This is all for you.’
‘Ascension’ is his first live-broadcast stunt since 2012 when he spent 72 hours standing on a pillar in New York City while being hit with one million volts of electricity.
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