Coast Guard Rescues Man in Inflatable Bubble
— -- An endurance runner who tried traveling from Miami to Bermuda in an inflatable bubble is back on dry land after he was rescued by the Coast Guard.
Reza Baluchi aimed to "walk on water" in a hydropod for more than 1,000 miles and left earlier this week. He survived on protein bars, bottled water, and was armed with a GPS and satellite phone.
But Baluchi, 42, ran out of steam early Saturday morning, signaling the Coast Guard for help three days after its initial warning to him.
"If you run into trouble, there's no guarantee that we'll be able to get to you in time or even find you," a dispatcher previously told Baluchi.
"Okay, I'm continuing to go," Baluchi replied.
When he activated his personal locating beacon, the Coast Guard found him 70 nautical miles off the coast of St. Augustine, Florida.
The Coast Guard lowered a rescue basket for Baluchi and sent a swimmer after finding him, said Lt. Tom Huntley.
The adventurist, who was suffering from exhaustion but not injured, was "reportedly disoriented and asking for directions to Bermuda," the Coast Guard said in a statement.
This wasn't Baluchi's first time behind the wheel of a bubble. He successfully trekked 30 miles from Newport Beach, California, to Catalina Island earlier this year. He is also hoping to run through all the recognized countries in the world, according to his website, "to inspire us and unite us as a people."
Baluchi did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
