Reza Baluchi

He has several times attempted to travel long distances off the East Coast of the United States in a self-propelled water craft resembling a hamster ball, which he calls a "hydro pod" or bubble.

Baluchi was born in Rasht,[2] and in Iran was tortured and served 18 months of a two-year sentence for offenses against Islam;[3] as of October 2014[update] he is a Catholic.

[3] Baluchi built and equipped his first "hydro pod" using $4,500 in savings from working as a mechanic and a dishwasher,[4] at a hookah bar and a supermarket in Newport Beach, California.

[7] He has said that he undertakes his ocean journeys to inspire others and to raise money for public services, including the US Coast Guard, which has repeatedly stopped him for his own safety.

[11] A friend towed his craft into international waters; they were forced to return once from 12 miles (19 km) offshore after the Coast Guard inspected the hydro pod and found Baluchi's fire extinguisher was not fully charged.

[3] After three days floating alongside the cutter Robert Yered, approximately 90 miles (140 km) offshore from Jacksonville, he was brought back to shore and placed in a psychiatric hospital for evaluation; the Coast Guard told the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office that he had threatened to kill himself, and according to Baluchi, Coast Guard personnel shot the buoyancy balls in order to sink his bubble.

[13][15] On August 29, two days after the Coast Guard first made contact, Baluchi agreed to leave his vessel, and he was brought ashore on September 1.