Man trying to run from Florida to Bermuda in inflatable 'bubble' rescued by coast guard for second time
Ray Baluchi had been warned after a failed attempt in 2014
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Louise Thomas
Editor
A man who attempted to ‘run’ across the sea in an inflatable bubble was stopped by the coast guard, who called the adventure ‘manifestly unsafe’.
Ray ‘Reza’ Baluchi has been trying to run between Florida and Bermuda inside the buoyant ‘hydro pod’, for the second time in under two years.
Mr Baluchi’s website describes how the 44-year-old ‘Ultra Marathon runner’ had planned ‘a life-threatening journey at sea’, while raising money for a children’s charity.
The US Coast Guard reported that the runner had been discovered at 2 am on Sunday, seven miles off the coast. They stayed with him throughout the night until a larger boat arrived and Mr Baluchi voluntarily ended his expedition.
The Coast Guard first rescued Mr Baluchi back in 2014 after being told a disorientated man was in a bubble near the Miami coastline, asking for directions to Bermuda.
After that episode, the runner was warned earlier this month not to attempt his challenge, "because your vessels and the conditions under which you are attempting to complete your voyage to Bermuda is unsafe," according to the Coast Guard.
After the most recent rescue, it was revealed how much Mr Beluchi’s first failed attempt had cost the taxpayer $144,000 after an airplane, a helicopter and the Maersk Montana vessel were all deployed to save him.
During the five month journey, Mr Baluchi had planned to eat on his 1,033 mile run by catching fish and preparing some homemade protein bars, all from inside the self-designed ‘hydro pod’.
In the letter that warned Mr Baluchi, Captain A.J. Gould wrote that the penalty for not complying with the order could be up to “(seven) years confinement and a $40,000 fine.”
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