A small object found floating miles off San Diego's coast prompted the Coast Guard to establish a security perimeter and call in the FBI, according to a published report.
The 1.5-foot wide object concerned the Coast Guard enough to call "bomb technicians from the FBI, explosive ordinance personnel from the San Diego Metro Arson Strike Team, San Diego lifeguards and members of the San Diego Ranger/Diver Remote Operated Vehicle team," reported the North County Times.
The object was spotted at about 8:40 a.m. about 8 miles off the coast of Torrey Pines. After an examination by a robotic device, bomb experts said the styrofoam-encased device was part of a weather balloon.
U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Henry Dunphy told the paper that he "knew of no reports of balloons dropping equipment into the ocean."
Read the North County Times' "Weather Balloon Instruments Found in Ocean" story for more details.
