THEY TOLD HIM it couldn’t be done, but he tried anyway. It didn’t work out this time, but don’t let that kill anyone’s spirit.
Reza Baluchi built a ‘hydropod bubble runner’ to make the trip from Florida to Bermuda, a cool 1,033 miles. The U.S. Coast Guard were quick to offer their doubts to Baluchi, but he was having none of it and set off on the journey.
However, the determined philanthropist had to be rescued yesterday, 70 nautical miles East of St. Augustine, Florida, where Time reports he was found “disorientated and asking for directions to Bermuda”. On Wednesday, The Coast Guard warned that he would not have enough supplies to make the trip, finding protein bars, bottled water, a GPS and a satellite phone on board.
Baluchi refused to leave initially but his movements were monitored until he activated his Personal Locating Beacon on Saturday for help. He was rescued by air crews and transferred to Air Station Clearwater to be medically evaluated. Thankfully, there were no injuries.
According to Baluchi’s website, he was planning to raise money for a children’s hospital. He slept from 6am-9am and inflated the bubble daily to keep it afloat. The bubble is operated with a walking motion, a bit like a hamster wheel.
Here’s the bubble in action in the past.
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