What is the longest time someone can hold their breath for?

Question: What is the longest time someone can hold their breath for?
- Keywords:
  breath,
  holding breath
Asked by emma014442 to Arttu, Ceri, James_M, Monica, Philip on 17 Jun 2011.
- Arttu Rajantie answered on 17 Jun 2011:
  
  The magician David Blaine held his breath for 17 minutes on live TV in 2008. I am not sure if that is still the world record, though.
  
  Indicentally, I once visited an island called Cheju in Korea, where traditionally men looked after the children and women would work by diving in the sea and collecting shellfish. Apparently these women could hold their breath for up to five minutes while diving.

faduma12117 commented on 17 Jun 2011:

i personally think that you can hold your breath as long as your lungs can be able to,am i right

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- rabia commented on 17 Jun 2011:
  
  well people can hold their breath for as long as they can because if your a perfesional siwimmer you can hold your breath for even more then17 minutes
  
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Question: What is the longest time someone can hold their breath for?