Reza Baluchi, a man who lives in Florida after being recently granted asylum from Islam was taken in my the Coast Gaurd in the waters close to South Florida. On August 26th he was found on his homemade hamster wheel that he made himself. The hamster wheel consisted of many buoys to keep it afloat in the water that were tied together by wires and pieces of plastic inside. This “vehicle” is self propelled meaning that it moves by him running inside of it. Baluchi says that it being self propelled is what makes it a real hamster wheel.
The Coast Guard ship named “Valiant” is who came across him about 70 miles east of Tybee Island in Georgia. This was also the time when the Coast Guard was preparing for Hurricane Franklin. He told the officers that he was headed toward London which would be over a 4,000 mile trip. Baluchi’s vessel known as the “hyrdo pod” was not registered under any state, however Baluchi said that it was registered in Florida but couldn’t find the registration papers.
According to the Coast Guard Baluchi “was conducting an unsafe voyage” and also was traveling on an unregistered vehicle which was the reasons for his arrest. When the officers approached him in the water Baluchi said “I have a 12 inch knife and will kill myself if you try to remove me from my vessel.” After many days of convincing he finally was taken off the boat and was released in Miami on a $25,000 bond. As his trial continues he is unpremitted to travel outside of south Florida or enter the ocean or any vessel a boat on the ocean.
After more investigations were done on Baluchi and his case they have found that this was not the first time he had attempted a voyage in his homemade vessel. He had attempted and been stopped in 2014, 2016, and 2021. Each time he gets stopped by the Coast Guard. NewYorkTimes did an profile on him calling him a man of big dreams who has traveled a coast to coast journey twice. Baluchi states ” “If you drive a boat, nobody cares. Bubble, nobody did before.” This was his so called motivation for travelling in his homemade hamster vessel.
