Baluchi Rescued From Bermuda Bound Bubble

Known for running all over the world in the name of peace and unity, Reza Baluchi's latest venture ended prematurely Saturday morning when the United States Coast Guard rescued the exhausted man from his drifting "hydro pod" about 80 miles east of St. Augustine, Florida. It was the Coast Guard's second interaction with Baluchi.

USCG Cutter Webber arrives on scene
Wednesday off the coast of Miami.
Photo | U.S. Coast Guard

Coast Guard At Work

Three days earlier, watchstanders at the USCG's District 7 Command Center in Miami had received a report of a disoriented individual floating offshore in an inflatable bubble. Dispatched to the scene, Coast Guard Cutter Bernard C. Webber crew members located Baluchi in his specially designed globe, with protein bars, bottled water, a GPS and a satellite phone in his possession. He asked for directions to Bermuda and declined to leave his vessel despite being warned about the dangers of his intended passage.

Thereafter, watchstanders continued to monitor Baluchi's progress along Florida's Atlantic coast until he activated his Personal Locating Beacon (PLB) on Saturday morning. Search-and-rescue crews out of Air Station Clearwater reached the defeated Baluchi and a rescue swimmer safely hoisted him into the MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter. Baluchi received medical evaluation in Clearwater. No injuries were reported.

Baluchi aims to run in 194 countries
Photo | runwithreza.org

Run Reza, Run

Having completed running events for charity in 55 different countries so far, Baluchi's latest goal is to traverse the Bermuda Triangle to raise money for children in need. He designed the hydro pod to enable him to "run across the sea" and tested the floating orb in 2013, traveling 33 miles from Newport Beach to Catalina Island. The first leg of his Bermuda Triangle journey would have covered 1,033 miles from Miami to Bermuda but for the forced abandonment on Saturday.

While he acknowledges the difficult physical conditions inside the bubble, Baluchi asserts his mental fitness will ultimately propel him to his goal.  We admire his tenacity and wish him the best of luck going forward.

And thanks, as always, to the men and women of the United States Coast Guard for all they do!

To learn more about Reza's mission, click here.
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UPDATE: Audio | SAT call between USCG and Baluchi

UPDATE: ‘I want my bubble back,’ says man rescued by Coast Guard | The Miami Herald

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