NEW YORK (CNN) -- Wobbly but relieved, magician David Blaine surfaced after spending seven days in a transparent coffin 6 feet under and covered with tons of water in New York.

Hundreds of spectators cheered when the 3-ton tank of water that covered his see-through chamber was lifted and Blaine sat up and smiled.

"I saw something very prophetic ... a vision of every race, every religion, every age group banding together, and that made all this worthwhile," he told the crowd.

The shirtless, tattooed magician donned sunglasses and stepped unsteadily out of the coffin, aided by security people, and was taken to a doctor for a checkup.

Blaine's only communication to the outside world was by a hand buzzer, which could have alerted an around-the-clock emergency crew standing by.

He also fasted during the week, limiting himself to two or three tablespoons of water a day. Since trips to the bathroom were impossible, he relied on a device known as a "Trucker's Tube."

Thousands visited the watery grave on Manhattan's upper West Side, waving and staring at the 26-year-old magician. Spokesman Pat Smith estimated that some 75,000 people had visited the site.

Blaine's hero, Harry Houdini, planned a similar feat but died in 1926 before he could perform it.