He called himself “Captain Bubble.”
Ray “Reza” Baluchi first tried to run from Florida to Bermuda inside a homemade inflatable craft resembling a giant hamster wheel, a 2014 journey that ended with his return to shore by the U.S. Coast Guard.
After that, a Coast Guard commander issued him an order under federal navigation laws: No runs without being cleared by a marine inspector and a support ship.
Baluchi set off again in 2016 and 2021 with a similar craft powered solely by his feet. Again his attempts were cut short by authorities who deemed his journeys “manifestly unsafe.”
But he vowed to never give up his dream of “running” across the sea.
Then in August, the Coast Guard spotted him 70 miles off the coast of Georgia, in his floating hamster wheel, trying to cross the entire Atlantic. After several tense days negotiating with the Guard, Baluchi was brought to shore yet again. But instead of simply being towed to shore, he was also taken to court.
Federal authorities charged him with obstruction of boarding – for his standoff with the Coast Guard – and violation of a captain of the port order.
This week, the Fort Lauderdale man agreed to stop trying to undertake such voyages during a yearlong pretrial diversion agreement approved by Judge Frederico Moreno in the Southern District of Florida, court records show.
Baluchi, 51, also must allow the U.S. Coast Guard to dispose of his vessel, called a “HydroPod,” and cannot build another one. Those, plus a boater safety course, are among a larger raft of requirements that he must follow for 12 months, after which the prosecutor will move to dismiss the charges.
Despite it all, Baluchi told USA TODAY on Tuesday the dream isn’t dead. But once his diversion is over, he is planning on running on dry land – including along China’s Great Wall and elsewhere to help raise money for charity.
“People read about me, they think I’m crazy,” he said, arguing he was simply following his guiding principle: “To never give up your dreams.”
While Baluchi has maintained he didn’t want or need rescue during his adventures, the Coast Guard has said that “manifestly unsafe” voyages endanger the lives of both participants and rescuers.
Since 2019, the Coast Guard has terminated about 7,700 voyages due to safety violations. That data makes no distinction between recreational boaters and "adventurer" vessels, according to a spokesperson.
“Mariners who take to the sea without regard for safety put themselves and others at risk,” Melissa Leake, a U.S. Coast Guard public affairs officer, told USA TODAY shortly after Baluchi was charged.
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Before his HydroPod notoriety, Baluchi made headlines for long-distance running on land. In 2007, for example, he ran around the perimeter of the U.S. to raise money for the Children's Hospital of Denver.
More than a decade ago, the Iranian-born runner came up with the idea of extending his headline-generating ultramarathon runs to the ocean – part of what he said was a mission to inspire people to follow dreams.
Using his background as a mechanic, he built a craft by connecting an inflatable bubble to buoy-floated paddle wheels, propelling himself by running or walking, much like a hamster wheel. He tested the idea in places including the California coast.
In 2014, he tried to reach Bermuda when a concerned boater called the Coast Guard. He was asked to terminate his voyage but he refused. He was later hoisted from the vessel and returned to shore.
Subsequently, the Coast Guard said that he needed a support or escort vessel to accompany him, among other safety requirements. Baluchi said he didn’t do that because he didn’t want to put any others at risk.
In 2016 he set off solo in his HydroPod once again.
A Coast Guard ship approached off the Florida coast and asked what he was doing, according to an account written that year in the Broward Palm Beach New Times.
"Going to Bermuda," he replied.
"No, you're not," the Coast Guard member responded. "Your voyage has been terminated."
In 2021, Baluchi sought to ride the Gulf Stream more than 1,000 miles to New York to raise money for homeless people and other causes. After starting, he returned to a Florida beach because he forgot certain equipment. The Coast Guard told the New York Times at the time that he could not continue without the safety measures it had outlined.
Baluchi upgraded the vessel from its original form, replacing the inflatable bubble with a metal cylinder and adding flotation, and prepared for another try.
His goal was to travel to London and again raise money for charitable causes that include helping the homeless, the Coast Guard and the fire department, he told FOX 35.
He equipped the craft with food – energy bars, gummy bears, water – plus satellite and navigation equipment, a solar charger and survival gear. Then, in August, he hired a shrimp boat to tow him into international waters.
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On Aug. 26, the Coast Guard spotted Baluchi 70 miles off the coast of Tybee Island, Georgia, amid preparations for Hurricane Franklin, according to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court of Southern Florida.
The complaint says that despite his distance from the shore, he was still subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.
When the crew on the Coast Guard Cutter Valiant said it was terminating his journey. Baluchi said he was armed with a 12-inch knife and threatened to die by suicide, according to the complaint.
The next day, officers again attempted to force Baluchi to disembark. This time, he allegedly threatened to blow himself up. Officers observed him holding wires, prompting them to contact the U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit to help determine the blast radius of Baluchi's alleged bomb, according to the complaint.
He eventually told officers the bomb wasn’t real, the complaint said. He left the vessel on Aug. 29 and was later charged in federal court in Miami.
Under the diversion agreement approved on Monday, Baluchi cannot work on any sea vessel or ports, including fishing boats, where he said he earned money before. He’s now washing dishes in a restaurant, he said.
But he said he’s running daily, continuing work on a book about his life, including his escape from Iran, and planning long-distance runs in Africa and China, he said.
While his HydroPod will likely be destroyed, he said, he hopes one day there is a way to make his dream of running across the water happen – without legal trouble.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Reza Baluchi, charged for 'HydroPod' ocean trip, reaches deal in court
