A daring adventurer tried to cross the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina in a homemade “hydropod” but ended up in legal trouble on the high seas. Reza Baluchi, originally from Iran but now living in Florida, was arrested about 70 miles from Georgetown. He claimed he was heading to London but faced charges for a “dangerous voyage” filed in federal court in Miami.
Baluchi’s unusual contraption looked like a giant hamster wheel and seemed to be held together with wire and buoys. When the US Coast Guard tried to approach it, Baluchi resisted and even wielded a 12-inch knife, threatening suicide. He also initially claimed he had a bomb but later admitted it was a false alarm.
This wasn’t Baluchi’s first attempt; he had tried similar transatlantic journeys in 2014, 2016, and 2021, all thwarted near the US coast. Moreover, he didn’t follow the required procedures by not having his hydropod inspected by the Coast Guard’s marine inspectors.
After receiving basic necessities and medical attention on a cutter, Baluchi was taken to Miami for his arrest. His website paints him as a peace-loving adventurer aiming to cross oceans on a Hydro Pad to prove that anything is possible with belief.
