Coast Guard Rescue Man On Bubble Journey
[Updated with video & audio] A man attempting to travel from Miami to Bermuda in a bubble that allows him to run on water was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard today [Oct 4], after reportedly being found floating in the bubble, disoriented and asking for directions to Bermuda.
Athlete Reza Baluchi had planned to make the Miami to Bermuda trip — which is approximately 1,033 miles — in a Hydro Pod bubble that lets him run on water.
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard:
According to his website, he planned to catch his food, and when unable to catch fish, eat protein bars. The athlete planned to sleep on a hammock inside the bubble.
The website describes a typical day of the journey as sleeping from 6am – 9am, start running until he gets too hot, then jumping into the sea to cool himself off with a leash strapped to his leg connected to the bubble.
The 42 year old has competed in various races before, with his website saying he spent seven years biking across fifty-five countries on six continents, covering over 49,700 miles.
The Palm Beach Post reported about his rescue earlier today, saying: “The Coast Guard said he first ran into trouble Wednesday, when watchstanders at its 7th District command center received a report that Baluchi floating in the bubble, reportedly disoriented and asking for directions to Bermuda.”
“The Coast Guard said he first ran into trouble Wednesday, when watchstanders at its 7th District command center received a report that Baluchi floating in the bubble, reportedly disoriented and asking for directions to Bermuda.
“A Coast Guard cutter arrived on scene, conveyed the dangers of his voyage and told Baluchi to end his trip due to the lack of supplies on board to sustain him. Baluchi had protein bars, bottled water, a GPS and a satellite phone with him.
“Baluchi refused to leave his craft, however, and watchstanders continued to monitor his movements until he activated a radio beacon Saturday morning due to fatigue.
“Crews lifted Baluchi to safety and flew him to Air Station Clearwater, where emergency medical services evaluated him.”
Video on Mr. Baluchi and the bubble courtesy of Cheetah Entertainment
Before the trip, an update on his website said: “Everyone wants to know how Reza Baluchi will be successful in his travel to through the Bermuda triangle. Reza is so confident that he will succeed in this trip because he has carefully articulated every detail it takes to survive.
“In the years 2010-2012 he survived the dangers of Death Valley, by carefully planning where he would obtain water and rest for the night. By going through this experience, this is when the idea of traveling through the Bermuda Triangle was born.”
Update 3.49pm: Coast Guard News has some additional details on the matter, saying that the Coast Guard conveyed to him the dangers of his voyage and requested he terminate the trip. However, he refused to leave his raft, so the Coast Guard monitored his movements.
This morning, Coast Guard HC-130 and MH-60 aircrafts out of Air Station Clearwater in Florida, began searching for Mr. Baluchi, and the MH-60 aircrew arrived on scene and hoisted him from the bubble.
Update 4.22pm: The Coast Guard have just released the video of the actual rescue
Update 6.08pm: The Coast Guard have released additional items, including photos and audio.
The audio below is of Captain Todd Coggeshall from Coast Guard 7th District, who warned Mr Baluchi of the dangers of his voyage to Bermuda two days ago.
Captain Coggeshall told Mr Baluchi he had “grave concerns regarding his safety” in his “human powered travel from Miami to Bermuda in the hydro pod.”
He said as the “vessel” was being powered by Mr Baluchi “running and leaning from one side to the other,” he may have issues getting to Bermuda and “was putting himself in grave danger on the high seas.”
Mr Baluchi declined to take the Coast Guard’s advice and stop his journey, saying he has been “practicing for two years.”
According to the audio, he started the journey on September 30th and managed to make it some 185 miles.
Audio courtesy of the Coast Guard, the conversation happened two days ago
The photo below is courtesy of the Coast Guard/Petty Officer 3rd Class Mark Barney
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Category: Accidents and fires, All, News
Lol he had to be quite disoriented before the trip to think he’d survive a 1,000 mile journey to Bermuda on a floating bubble.
I think he forgot to take his MEDS.
What a fool
Bubble busted! Glad your safe ….
I’ve seen Cuban’s and Haitians do better with less technology !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some people just have too much time on their hands.. Causing the coast guard unnecessary headaches.
smhhh and they say hamsters are dumb! lol brah sailing is one thing but running in your bubble is just a NO! King of all idiots! Those hours your sleeping the current just taking you further away lol
Maybe he should have tried to circle Bermuda first before trying to cross an ocean with currents and winds. Even the Bermuda Triangle was not sure what to do about that watercraft so it let him live.
Meanwhile the sharks following him were sorely disappointed when he was rescued.
Hahaha. I could just see the coast guard saying: “hey man, we are here to stop your journey; sorry to bust your bubble.”
The old saying is still relevant today, “COMMON SENSE IS NOT COMMON”.
The Coast Guard should have taken him straight to MAWI, Sounds like this guy needs some real help.
Ship I was on was asked to assist Coast Guard in Rescue Reza Baluch the Hydro Pod bubble man.
why dis like this post ? ships are always asked to help .
Awesome rescue I was there to witness it onboard the Maersk Montana
I was there too, I was the purple and white football!!!!!!!!
“How do I get to Bernuda from here sir?”
“Take two lefts, a right and follow the blue brick road!!”
“Thanks ” *keeps running* lol
wake up people,
you guys are the ones that need to go to MAWI.
people like him are what Bermuda Needs. you dont realize that your are traped in the system. people like him and the little girls that cross the ocean by them selfs and dont for get the old man in the row boat.
They are not trapped by the airport or the no fly list.
They seen true freedom. as the tech progress one day we all will see first hand the freedom world traval.
Are you retarded? Trapped by the airport were our chances of surviving and reaching our destination are extremely high vs running in a bubble in the Atlantic ocean during hurricane season. Hmmmm. Tough choice.
Wow!!! Amazing how some will risk life and limb for attention. Dude WTH were you thinking man???
I want to know what proton bars he ate clearly they did not do what the claim. I can see the coast guards faces when he asked them where is Bermuda.
Protein bars and tea provided my Mr. Mark Bean !
Bubble boy
Well, he had his 15 minutes of fame,and then some!
an adventurer for sure- we are not risk takers here
Natural selection would have seen him not rescued.
I’m thankful that he was rescued safe and sound, but he should pay the cost of his Coast Guard rescue and all the other ships that may have diverted to aid him. This was not adventure or skill. He apparently knows nothing about navigation, currents, storms or survival. What a foolish waste of everyone’s time.
They do have legal recourse recover expenses incurred from people who do stupid things.
what an idiot
What an absolute moron! Better luck next time bubble boy. LOL!
WHAT. THE. HECK. DID. I. JUST. READ ?????????????????????
Don’t hate on the free spirit…you dumb a** bermudians have zero b@lls to do anything close to that…
Sit home at ya mommas house smoking weed and drinking beer laughing at someone who actually is living…do not judge someones willingness to experience adventure…2 thumbs up bubble boy!!!
Think you have had one too many drinks and/or spliffs!! You call that living?? The idiot could have died out there!!Maybe you should have been out there with him and see just what kind of “living” is was….smdh!
Honestly, I’m just confused.
Wouldn’t things like wind and water currents steer him off course daily?? Especially during his 3 hour sleep – you can drip pretty far off course in three hours. GPS or not, did he account for things like that? Is that part of the reason why he needed to be rescued? Would it just have taken far too long to get here given those factors?
And what if big ol’ Bruce the Shark from Finding Nemo decided to grab himself a protein bar (ie- Reza’s leg) while he was swimming to cool off??
LAWD. The man has bigger meatballs than that bubble itself.
More publicity for Bermuda
This bizarro tale has viral qualities. BTA are you paying attention? Jump on this: “The lengths people go to to get to Bermuda!”
this man lives in a bubble….disoriented?,are you sure he doesn’t have alzheimers?….looks like he might need an intervention…oh that’s right you’ve done that…
Thanks for the free publicity Reza!!!!!!!!! #Bermuda
I don’t hate anyone but I have to agree with this being a completely dumbass thing to do.
Running the 700 odd miles is one thing. Fighting *any* sort of current or wind lengthens that trip exponentially.
Next time you are on a flight to New York and can see the ocean from 30,000 feet take a peek out of the window every ten minutes or so. Then remember that you are travelling at about 600mph. When you land reflect upon what this guy was attempting.
yup he’s an idiot…but who cares as the free media coverage is a gold mine….else for the jerk commenting about Bermudians staying at momma’s house smoking weed….if you hate us and our lifestyles, you simply need pack your shyte and go home M8…the money you make isn’t enough to keep you happy living with us.
All our inventors and world record breakers had to start somewhere how many failures did they do before achievements. Shame this bubble man didn’t make it. Next time he should check out water conditions and the eliments before setting out. I am sure now that this is a new record to break others will give it a try.
the Right Brothers were mocked and called fools.
the point of it goes over most people heads they cant understand any thing that is not spoon fed to them by the brain washing box and the gov.
The Right Brothers? That’s just so rong.
bwahaha , that’s priceless. Unfortunately my software/hardware doesn’t allow me to give ‘likes’ or ‘dislikes’ . otherwise you’d get a + for that one .
Now, everyone else , repeat after me in a whiny voice with a pout on your mugs .. ‘It’s only the internet , spelling and grammar don’t matter’ .
the wrong brothers were Wrights.
It would take just short of a miracle for that guy to make it here. He had absolutely no control over his direction and speed. He would have been completely at the mercy of the wind and ocean currents. He would have likely ended up getting caught in the gulf stream and taken way off course. if it wasn’t for the coast guard this guy would have ended up either dead or if he was lucky he may have been rescued by a ship.
On the upside, Bermuda is in the news because of this idiot.
Dis-oriented. Completely at the mercy of the ocean currents. If only he’d got here he could have joined the PLP.
Even a hamster has more brains then him.
Did he have his passport?? say he did make it safe… What would he have done? Said “cool” and then started his way back??
I agree, good publicity though!
IDIOT
Feel sorry for the U.S coast guard who has to rescue these foolish people!
Well I see the idiot reached one of his goals. He made US national news this morning. His moment of fame.
Now, bill him for his rescue costs.
The only true failure is the failure to try.
This is is too funny! Gotta give him points for trying to do something different but who can keep a strait face reading ” …the coast guard found him disoriented and asking for directions to Bermuda” In the ocean, in a giant hamster toy.
Thanks for the comedic relief, everyone could use the good laugh.
I wonder if he was carrying a passport. He couldn’t get on shore without one.