Florida man arrested after building his own giant hamster wheel to try to cross the Atlantic Ocean
Published on Nov 29, 2025 at 10:07 PM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Nov 27, 2025 at 5:30 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
This man was arrested by the US Coast Guard after trying to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a giant hamster wheel.
Yep, as bizarre as it sounds, this really did happen.
Iranian-born Reza Baluchi, who now lives in the US, has actually made several attempts to travel long distances off the East Coast in his homemade watercraft.
And several of those attempts got him in hot water with officials.
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The giant hamster wheel creator said he wanted to ‘run to London’
We’ve seen some unique and unusual DIY projects, such as the man who turned his living room couch into a V8-powered beast, or this guy who spent a decade crafting a fully working submarine in his backyard.
But this one might take the cake.
Over in Florida, Reza Baluchi made a giant floating hamster wheel from buoys and wire, which is self-propelled by him running inside it.
While most of us would probably think twice about heading out onto the ocean in such a craft, Baluchi has made several attempts to travel long distances with it.
According to NPR, Baluchi tried to take the wheel out on voyages in 2014, 2016, and 2021, all of which were intercepted by the US Coast Guard.
He attempted it again in August 2023, when he was intercepted about 70 miles off Tybee Island, Georgia.
When he was stopped, he reportedly told officials he was trying to ‘run to London’ in his DIY watercraft.
A complaint filed against Baluchi by the US Coast Guard said they quickly determined that he was ‘conducting a manifestly unsafe voyage’ on the vessel that was ‘afloat as a result of wiring and buoys’.
To make matters worse, Baluchi had attempted to set off on the voyage as officials were preparing for a hurricane to arrive in the area.
Baluchi isn’t giving up on his dreams…
In December 2023, Baluchi agreed in court to stop trying to embark on such voyages in the giant hamster wheel.
Alongside that, court records show that he was also told he must allow the US Coast Guard to safely dispose of the vessel and that he cannot build another one.
Nonetheless, he’s still dead set on taking on an unusual challenge, but this time on dry land.
Speaking to USA Today at the time, he said he planned to run along China’s Great Wall and raise money for charity at the same time and declared that he would never give up on his dreams.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
