The makeshift “hydropod” was invented and built by Reza Baluchi. HANDOUT / SHERIFF COUNT FLAGLER’S OFFICE
This is the fourth attempt by Reza Baluchi, an Iranian living in Florida. He has since been prosecuted for “criminal conduct on the high seas”.
Reza Baluchi, an Iranian residing in Florida, was accused this Thursday, September 7 of “criminal conduct on the high seas» after having attempted on August 26 to cross the Atlantic aboard a “hydropod» of fortune, learned the British daily The Guardian . This contraption, similar to a giant hamster wheel, held together by wires and buoys, was built by Reza Baluchi. On August 26, before being arrested by agents and then transferred to Miami, he had also repelled US Coast Guard teams using a knife and threatening to hold a homemade bomb, according to the daily British.
“Dangerous journey”
The 44-year-old told officers he was trying to reach London by crossing the Atlantic. Charging documents filed in Miami federal court say he “was making a clearly dangerous journey“.
This is the fourth time that the American Coast Guard has prevented Reza Baluchi from attempting such a journey. His previous attempts, in 2014, 2016 and 2021, aboard similar artisanal boats, were all interrupted near the American coast. On his website, Reza Baluchi describes himself as a “peaceful adventurer” wants “race through 198 recognized countries and cross the ocean on a Hydro Pad, showing the world that anything is possible if you only believe in it“.
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