A man who made headlines for attempting to “run” to Bermuda in a home-made “bubble” has had his hopes sunk for a third time by the United States Coast Guard.

Iranian extreme athelete Reza Baluchi was reportedly taken to a mental health institution for two days following his latest failed effort last month.

He first attempted the trek to Bermuda in 2014 using a hydropod of his own design, but his effort was halted around 70 miles from the coast of Florida.

Undaunted, Mr Baluchi built a second hydropod and set out again in April, but was stopped by the US Coast Guard who called the voyage “unsafe”, threatening him with prison and fines.

According to the Florida-based Sun Sentinel, Mr Baluchi made a third attempt at the crossing in July. The newspaper reports that he was again halted by the Coast Guard in the early hours of July 11.

He was subsequently taken to shore and admitted to the Jacksonville Mental Health Resource Centre for observation. He was released two days later.

Coast Guard officials claimed Mr Baluchi “pulled out a knife, held it to his chest” and threatened to kill himself — something Mr Baluchi has denied.

Speaking to the Sun Sentinel, Mr Baluchi said: “Why would I want to kill myself? I am a survivor.”

He told the newspaper he was about 90 miles off the coast of Jacksonville when the Coast Guard stopped him, claiming that they shot at his buoyancy balls and sank the hyrdopod.

“Everything got messed up. My bubble is at the bottom of the ocean,” he said. “They had no right to sink my bubble, that was my personal property.”

While he told the newspaper that he would be moving to the west coast for a period, he added that July’s attempt would not be his last.