Man attempts to run to Bermuda in a floating bubble, fails miserably

Published Apr. 25, 2016 10:14 a.m. ET

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In a scene that looked like something out of the movie "Bubble Boy," ultra-marathoner Reza Baluchi was forced to abandon what was supposed to be a five-month journey running the perimeter of the Bermuda Triangle when the United States Coast Guard put an end to Baluchi's plans Sunday.

According to his website, Baluchi had planned to run across the sea in what he called a hydro pod, a vessel which looks like a human-sized inflatable hamster pod. The 44-year-old outlined plans to travel from Pompano Beach, Fla. north to Georgia, then aimed to set out for Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Haiti and Cuba before returning back to Pompano Beach.

Baluchi describe the voyage on his website as a "life-threatening journey at sea for charity." It is not clear which charity this trip was supposed to benefit.

But the Coast Guard was not as keen on Baluchi's plans. They rescued Baluchi during a previous attempt at the trip two years ago when he was found disoriented and asking for directions to Bermuda off the coast of Florida. The Coast Guard also warned him less than two weeks ago not to attempt the trip, according to a statement they released on Twitter Sunday.

Baluchi apparently wasn't deterred by the warning, but he did cede to the Coast Guard's authority Sunday when he voluntarily agreed to end his trip only days after departing from Florida. This time, he was found seven miles off the coast of Florida without the support boat he told the Coast Guard he would bring along with him.

While the trip was not successful, it did provide the American public with this incredible image of the bubble runner's encounter with the Coast Guard.

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