Man floating in bubble rescued by Coast Guard

A longtime endurance runner and peace activist whose latest goal was to reach Bermuda in a homemade floating "Hydro Pod" was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday after he began suffering from fatigue.

Coast Guard air crew were able to safely pick up Reza Baluchi and the bubble Saturday morning, Coast Guard spokeswoman Marilyn Fajardo said in a statement. He was transported to a nearby Coast Guard station and found to be uninjured, Fajardo said.

A statement on Baluchi's website said the Iranian exile had planned to make the 1,033-mile trip in his self-designed bubble to raise money "for children in need" and "to ... inspire those that have lost hope for a better future."

Link

Doesn't seem like a good plan. Another time the Coast guard has to rescue a fool.

Maybe the headline should have been "Coast Guard stops arrival of Darwin".

The "Hydro Pod" is a large bubble made of 3-mm- (0.11-inch)-thick plastic, Baluchi's website, "Run With Reza" says. The bubble, which he propelled forward by running inside and pushing it with his arms, was housed in a large aluminum-type frame studded at intervals with inflated soccer balls. A man who appears on a video during the bubble's construction compares it to a hamster wheel.

According to the site, Baluchi planned to run in the bubble in the mornings, cool off in the sea while leashed to the floating sphere, and sleep in a hammock inside it at night. In addition to the protein bars the Coast Guard said it found in his bubble, he planned to catch and eat fish, the site said.

Wonder how long before a recreational version is marketed.

originally posted by: roadgravel
Doesn't seem like a good plan. Another time the Coast guard has to rescue a fool.

Maybe the headline should have been "Coast Guard stops arrival of Darwin".

Agreed. Raising money for children and inspiring hope are noble ideas, but really, how is a harebrained, likely-suicidal stunt like this supposed to be 'inspiring'?

Some people's kids....

a reply to: roadgravel

Wonder how long before a recreational version is marketed.

Already available.

a reply to: roadgravel

The old TV show The Prisoner, always made me think it might be fun .

Well.....

That was a bloody stupid plan! It seems he made it 70 miles off the Florida coast, so not very far at all!

And he planned to "eat and catch fish" on the way... How was he going to cook them? What was he going to drink? Did he not consider that running in a ball on the ocean, with currents, waves and low friction would mean an incredibly inefficient form of transport?

They should bill him for the rescue.

If he wanted to raise money for kids in need, he could have just written a check.

Is there a way for air to get in? How do you fish from inside that thing?

Yeah, bill him for the rescue, although I'm sure the Coast Guard guys got one helluva laugh out of the whole thing.

Zorbing across the ocean without any support crew doesn't seem like the wisest idea. He's quite lucky the coast guard found him.

Most people that do long distance charity stunts usually have a chase team. You need them in case the weather goes bad or other things take a turn for the worse. Not to mention carry food and water. I wonder why this guy didn't have anybody?

a reply to: pauljs75

I wonder why this guy didn't have anybody?

They fought. He went off in the bubble, and they went off in a huff.

This is how my mind works:
What if he was out in the ocean and a shark, a big shark, decided to try a little bite to see if it was tasty? Then there he is. Shark bait. Good cause, though.

a reply to: roadgravel

Aw man you beat me to this

I saw this on the news and could not stop thinking about how many way this was poorly thought out.

A+ for a big heart but good Lord, a bubble? With wind, current, and the sun beating down?

Just gonna hamster my way over to an island out in the ocean over the horizon a really long ways away. Yup, maybe eat some fish because fish hooks and bubbles work great together. Take a dip in the salty salt water to cool off and then back to exacerbated chaffing in my directionless/tractionless spherical solar oven.