USCG rescues man from hydro bubble
Fundraiser and peace activist Reza Baluchi was airlifted from his ‘hydro bubble’ craft on 4 October by a US Coast Guard helicopter after he activated a personal locator beacon.
Fundraiser and peace activist Reza Baluchi was airlifted from his ‘hydro bubble’ craft on 4 October by a US Coast Guard helicopter after he activated a personal locator beacon. He was hoisted into the Air Station Clearwater aircraft from a position 70 nautical miles (130 km) off the coast of Florida.
Watchstanders at the Coast Guard 7th District command centre first received a report of Iranian-born US citizen floating in an inflatable bubble on 1 October. He was reportedly disoriented and asking for directions to Bermuda. The USCG sent a surface vessel, Cutter Webber, to the scene, where personnel conveyed the dangers of his voyage and requested that Baluchi terminate his trip due to the lack of supplies onboard the bubble to sustain him. He was carrying protein bars, bottled water, a GPS device and a satellite phone. Despite the USCG’s warnings regarding the craft’s ability to deal with adverse weather and to make headway towards Bermuda through the Gulf Stream, Baluchi refused to leave his vessel.
The watchstanders continued to monitor his movements until he activated his beacon on the morning of 4 October, when a plane and helicopter crews from Air Station Clearwater were dispatched along with the Maersk Montana, a vessel registered with the Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System (AMVER).
Once the aircrews arrived on scene, a rescue swimmer safely hoisted Baluchi from his inflatable raft into one of the helicopters. He was transported to Air Station Clearwater where emergency medical services evaluated him. There were no reports of any injuries.
Reza Baluchi’s website states that he was attempting the ‘dangerous journey’ to ‘raise money for children in need and to inspire those that have lost hope for a better future’. In a recording of the communications between the USCG and Baluchi prior to the rescue, he states that he had been preparing for the 1,033-mile crossing from Miami to Bermuda for two years. He planned to sustain himself during the voyage mainly on a diet of fish that he would catch en route.