carnival cruise passenger falls overboard

Man missing after falling overboard on Carnival cruise ship near Florida

The ship was off the coast of Florida at the time, the Coast Guard said.

A 35-year-old man is missing after falling from a cruise ship off the coast of Florida, authorities said.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it is searching for a passenger who went overboard from the Carnival Magic cruise ship traveling 186 miles east of Jacksonville on Monday.

MORE: Search suspended for 4 people missing after Alaskan charter boat sinks: Coast Guard

The man's companion reported him missing late Monday afternoon and "an initial review of closed circuit security footage confirms that he leaned over the railing of his stateroom balcony and dropped into the water at approximately 4:10 a.m. Monday," Carnival Cruise Line said in a statement to ABC News.

The man -- identified by his family as Ronnie Peale Jr. from New Hope, Virginia -- was on his first cruise, his mother told Richmond ABC affiliate WRIC .

His mother, Linda Peale, told WRIC that her son was on a cruise with his partner, Jennilyn Blosser, and her family for Blosser's birthday.

He would call at least three times a day to check on his dogs, and when he didn't call Monday morning and afternoon, Linda Peale knew something was wrong. She said she called Blosser to check in and learned they couldn't find him.

"I just woke up 11:30 in the morning [on Monday] and he wasn't there," Blosser told WRIC. "So I spent my whole day trying to find him."

Twelve hours had passed between when he went over his balcony railing and they found the security footage, Linda Peale said. Blosser said the footage showed him leaning over and that it looks like he accidentally fell.

"It’s not like he was like jumping, like you know, it wasn’t like that at all," Blosser told the station.

MORE: US teen missing after going overboard on sunset cruise in the Bahamas

After the Coast Guard released the ship from search and rescue efforts, the 1,004-foot Carnival Magic continued its return trip to Norfolk, Virginia, where it was scheduled to arrive as planned on Tuesday.

The Coast Guard said it is using both air and water assets to conduct the search for the passenger. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Coast Guard said its crews have searched 5,000 square miles over more than 40 hours as the search for Peale continues.

Linda Peale described her son as "full of life" and someone who loves old cars, gardening and cooking.

"We're still praying that he's somewhere out there somewhere," she told WRIC.

Popular Reads

Suspect at large in freeway shooting

• Sep 8, 11:18 PM

How to watch the Harris-Trump ABC News debate

• Sep 9, 9:01 AM

Neighbor arrested in death of missing nurse

• Sep 7, 6:59 PM

Mom of Georgia school shooting suspect speaks out

• Sep 9, 9:20 AM

4 dead in shooting at Georgia high school

• Sep 4, 10:47 PM

ABC News Live

24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events

Carnival cruise passenger who went overboard was 'dead set' on surviving

LA FAYETTE, ALABAMA -- James Michael Grimes is speaking out for the first time in an exclusive interview with ABC News after going overboard on a Carnival cruise ship after being missing for almost 20 hours.

The 28-year-old man said he was determined to make it out of the Gulf of Mexico alive, calling it the experience of a lifetime.

Grimes said he treaded water for nearly 20 hours after falling overboard on Thanksgiving Eve -- battling jelly fish, rip currents and shark-infested waters before being airlifted by the U.S. Coast Guard on Nov. 24. shortly after 8 p.m., the U.S. Coast Guard told ABC News.

Grimes had only been aboard the Carnival Valor for a day before his sister reported him missing. The two were last seen together at a restaurant where Grimes had won an air guitar contest before going to the bathroom.

Related Articles

MORE: Coast Guard rescues man who went overboard on Carnival cruise ship

That is the last thing he remembers. Grimes said he believes the fall overboard knocked him unconscious.

"The next thing I know... I regained consciousness. I was in the water with no boat in sight," he said.

Alone in solid darkness, and the light from the stars and the moon, Grimes decided in that moment he would make it out of the water.

"I felt like I was given a chance right then... you're alive for a reason... that [fall] could've killed me, but I felt like from that moment on, I was trying to stay positive. And, you know when you're here, you're still alive for a reason. So, all you got to do now is swim and survive. I was hoping... they will start looking for me... they will find me eventually," Grimes said.

MORE: Royal Caribbean to offer Starlink internet on all its ships

Grimes was aboard the five-day cruise with 18 of his family members for Thanksgiving. When he didn't return to his cabin that night, his sister reported him missing.

The ship was on its way to Cozumel, a Mexican island in the Caribbean, and was released by the Coast Guard to continue to its destination after the rescue was made.

"The Jayhawk aircrew hoisted the man onto the helicopter and transferred him to awaiting emergency medical services at the New Orleans Lakefront Airport," a statement from the Coast Guard read.

"We are beyond grateful that this case ended with a positive outcome," said Lt. Seth Gross, a Coast Guard Sector New Orleans search-and-rescue mission coordinator.

"We greatly appreciate the efforts of all, most especially the U.S. Coast Guard and the mariner who spotted the guest in the water," the Coast Guard said in a statement Thursday to ABC News. "Cruise ships have safety barriers in all public areas that are regulated by U.S. Coast Guard standards that prevent a guest from falling off. Guests should never ever climb up on the rails. The only way to go overboard is to purposefully climb up and over the safety barriers."

Carnival Valor had said in a statement to ABC News that it conducted a search-and-rescue operation after Grimes went missing.

"Carnival Valor retraced its route to support the search and rescue, but the ship has now been released by the U.S. Coast Guard, and will continue on its way to Cozumel. Carnival's Care Team is providing support to the family members of the missing guest who were sailing with him and remain on board," the statement at the time said.

Against all odds, Grimes said he kept a positive attitude and "just kept swimming."

In addition to his attitude, he said it was his will to see his family again that kept him afloat.

"I wanted to see my family and I was dead set on making it out of there. I was never accepting that this is it, this is going to be the end of my life. I'm 28 years old. I'm too young. This is not going to be it," Grimes said.

"I always thought there's a greater purpose for my life. Now, I know for sure I'm meant to do something on this Earth. And, you know, I don't know. It was just the Lord was out there helping me, giving me strength and helping me stay afloat," he added.

ABC News' Victoria J. Arancio contributed to this report.

Up Next in News—

Text messages between parents, kids tell story of fear and chaos during Georgia school shooting

'Grandmother' of Juneteenth Opal Lee attends her 1st DNC at age 97

12-year-old runs to get help after mom has seizure while driving

Woman who helped save Graceland from possible foreclosure speaks out

Shop editors picks, sponsored content by taboola.

• Privacy Policy — 
• Your US State Privacy Rights — 
• Children's Online Privacy Policy — 
• Interest-Based Ads — 
• Terms of Use — 
• Do Not Sell My Info — 
• Contact Us — 

© 2024 ABC News

A Carnival cruise passenger on a Bahamas vacation is missing after he leaned over his balcony and fell overboard, officials said

• A man is still missing after he went overboard on a Carnival cruise ship on Monday.
• Officials said the passenger leaned over a balcony railing and plunged into the water.
• The unidentified 35-year-old man was aboard the Carnival Magic cruise ship.

A man went overboard on a Carnival cruise ship returning to Virginia from the Bahamas — and he remains missing after officials said he leaned over a balcony railing and plunged into the water.

The United States Coast Guard said in a tweet on Tuesday that crews were searching for a 35-year-old man who fell off the Carnival Magic ship about 186 miles east of Jacksonville, Florida, on Monday.

"The Coast Guard is utilizing both air and water assets to conduct the search," the military branch said.

—USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) May 30, 2023

The cruise ship's operator, Carnival Cruise Line, told Insider in a statement that the man — whose identity was not immediately released — was reported missing by his companion late Monday afternoon.

The cruise line added, "an initial review of closed circuit security footage confirms that he leaned over the railing of his stateroom balcony and dropped into the water at approximately 4:10 am early Monday morning."

"The US Coast Guard has released the ship from any search and rescue efforts and advised the ship's captain to continue on its way to Norfolk, where it will arrive as planned on Tuesday. The Carnival Care Team is providing support to the guest's companion and traveling party who are on board," the statement continued.

Related stories

The Carnival Magic ship departed from Norfolk, Virginia, on Thursday and returned to Norfolk on Tuesday, WTKR reported .

Statistically, the odds of falling off a cruise ship are small. A total of 212 overboard incidents were reported on cruise ships from 2009 to 2019, according to a report commissioned by the industry-trade group Cruise Lines International Association. Out of those, 48 people — about 28% — were successfully rescued.

Under the 2010 Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act, cruise ships must have 42-inch guard rails and man-overboard imaging or detection systems. However, not all cruise ships have implemented recently developed automatic man-overboard-detection technology , which uses thermal cameras and radars to immediately alert crew members when a person goes overboard.

The time between someone going overboard and the cruise ship initiating a search-and-rescue mission can be the difference between life and death, as highlighted by the unlikely survival of James Michael Grimes, a Carnival passenger who was stranded at sea for 20 hours after falling overboard last year.

Have a tip or story to share about man-overboard incidents on cruise ships? Email this reporter at [email protected]

• Main content

Watch CBS News

He told his sister he was going to the bathroom. Then he came to in the Gulf of Mexico.

Updated on: December 2, 2022 / 8:47 PM EST / CBS/AP

He spent nearly 20 hours alone, treading water in the Gulf of Mexico after falling off a cruise ship and being saved on Thanksgiving. James Michael Grimes spoke about the experience Friday, saying it has taught him to not take life for granted.

"My worst fear is drowning and that was something I did not want to have to face," Grimes told ABC's " Good Morning America ." "I wanted to see my family again. I was dead set on making it out of there. I was never accepting that this was it, that this was going to be the end of my life."

The 28-year-old from Lafayette, Alabama, was with 18 relatives on a Carnival cruise to Cozumel, Mexico, when somehow, he ended up overboard after a day of fun.

On Nov. 23, he had won an air-guitar contest held on the cruise and remembers telling his sister around 11 p.m. that first night on board that he was going to the bathroom, he said. What happened next remains unclear. He said he doesn't remember falling or landing in the water.

"When I came to, regained consciousness, I was in the water with no boat in sight," he said. "I can't float myself, even when I'm trying to. So there had to be ... the Lord was with me while I was out there because something was holding me up the whole time I was passed out."

One of the U.S. Coast Guard officers who later saved him, aviation survival technician Richard Hoefle, told CBS News he believes Grimes "had about 30 seconds to a minute left before we would have lost him."

The 28-year-old man had "an incredible will to survive," Hoefle said.

At some point, Grimes said he thought he saw the fin of a shark, kicking at something that bumped into his leg. He later chewed on a stick he found floating in the water that appeared to be bamboo. 

"It gave some type of flavor in my mouth other than saltwater," he said.

As time passed and the sun began to set, Grimes said the water started getting colder.

"At that time, I thought, how much longer am I going to have to be out here," he said. "The fall didn't kill me and the sea creatures didn't eat me. I felt like I was meant to get out here."

Then, he saw the lights of a tanker ship and began swimming toward it.

"That was my final little burst of energy," Grimes said. "The strength that I had, I used pretty much every bit of it to try to make it."

He said the Coast Guard circled the tanker two or three times looking for him.

"I'd done taken off my socks and everything and was just waving them around my head, trying to do something where they could see me, and when that light finally hit me, somehow I heard, 'We got him,' and I seen a guy coming down from a helicopter and ... right then I thought, 'man I seen the light.'"

Grimes was rescued at about 2:30 p.m. local time on Nov. 24, about 20 miles off the coast of Southwest Pass, Louisiana, according to the Coast Guard. He said he remembered telling his rescuer he was naked and he told him that was fine. 

"He told me to hold on to this life vest, and I was just thinking 'Thank you, you were like a guardian angel coming down for me,'" he said.

It's been a week since the incident, and Grimes said the experience has opened his eyes. While dressing in a pair of pants he planned to wear on the cruise, Grimes said he found a fortune cookie fortune in the pants pocket that read "Life's a beach. Enjoy the waves."

Though harrowing, Grimes said the experience will not discourage him from taking another cruise.

"I might not get within 10-foot of the rails, but I'd definitely be open to going on another cruise, because I really didn't get to go on this one," he said.

• Gulf of Mexico
• United States Military
• Cruise Ship

More from CBS News

Police search for man who poured scalding hot coffee on baby in a park

Transcript: House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Rep. Michael McCaul on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Sept. 8, 2024

Georgia suspect's grandmother visited school one day before shooting

How to watch every Christian McCaffrey game in the 2024-2025 NFL season

George W Bush reveals his decision on 2024 endorsement after Cheney snubbed Trump

The 43rd president will not join his former vice president Dick Cheney, who said last week that he would vote for Democrat Kamala Harris

Newsmax Host Lidia Curanaj Makes Startling Political Confession And Apologizes

"I didn't know any better," the conservative host told her audience.

Parents’ devastation after baby attacker flees

A man accused of pouring hot coffee on a baby in a random attack was conducting “counter-surveillance activities”, police say.

Nick Kyrgios in awkward twist as Jannik Sinner celebrates US Open triumph with girlfriend

Nick Kyrgios previously dated Anna Kalinskaya. Read more here.

Here's What 27 Famous Long-Term Celebrity Couples Looked Like When They First Started Dating Vs. Now

Let's pour one out for another SMG/FPJ anniversary.

Wayne Bennett's Rabbitohs re-build takes shape as NRL club axe several players after horror campaign

The Rabbitohs will look vastly different in 2025. Read more here.

Kimberly Guilfoyle forced to ask audience to clap as awkward speech falls flat

‘We are ready, we are willing, and we are able to spark a new era of American exceptionalism,’ Donald Trump Jr’s fiancée says to sparse applause

Donald Trump Hit With White Stripes Lawsuit, As Promised — Update

UPDATE, 1:08 PM: “This machine sues fascists.” Jack White said he was going to take Donald Trump to court for using his music, and today, with a tribute to the late great Woody Guthrie, he has. In a jury trial seeking complaint filed Monday in federal court in New York, the musician and his White …

Andrew Voss calls for Clint Gutherson suspension in bid to crack down on ugly NRL trend

The Eels captain's actions have sparked backlash across the NRL world. More here.

Max Verstappen makes shock F1 title statement amid Red Bull run of form

The Dutch driver has a 62-point lead to Lando Norris in the world championship with eight races left

Ex-Prosecutor Reveals The 1 Legal Move That Makes Jail 'Much More Likely' For Trump

Andrew Weissmann warned the former president of a big downside to his sentencing delay.

Billy Slater makes call on Ben Hunt's future after Dragons captain's horror moment in loss

The Queensland coach has addressed the uproar around the Dragons skipper. More here.

Nathan Cleary and Mary Fowler 'engaged' as NRL fans lose it over Brian To'o prank on teammate

The Panthers winger set tongues wagging. Read why here.

Channel 7 slams shocking claims about Guy Sebastian's behaviour on The Voice: 'Rubbish'

EXCLUSIVE: Channel Seven has hit back at claims Guy Sebastian is a 'diva' on set of The Voice. Read more.

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes

Cruise Passenger Missing After He 'Jumped' Overboard While Ship Was Returning to Florida

"The crew was notified by his traveling companion late in the afternoon about his missing status after he had not been seen all day," Carnival Cruise Line said in a statement

Erin Clack is a Staff Editor for PEOPLE. She has been writing about fashion, parenting and pop culture for more than 15 years.

DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty 

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a missing man who went overboard from a Carnival cruise ship off the coast of Florida over the weekend.

According to a statement from Carnival Cruise Line, the 30-year-old passenger went missing on Sunday while traveling on the Carnival Elation as it made its way back to its homeport of Jacksonville following a four-day trip to the Bahamas.

"The crew was notified by his traveling companion late in the afternoon about his missing status after he had not been seen all day," Carnival said in a statement sent to PEOPLE.

"Sadly, after an exhaustive on-board search and a review of security camera video, it was determined that he jumped," the company said. "Shoreside authorities were notified, and the crew was advised to continue to Jacksonville."

The Coast Guard said in a statement that air and sea crews are working to search for the missing passenger, who has not been publicly identified, 95 nautical miles east of Melbourne, Florida. The crews are the 87-foot Cutter Tarpon from St. Petersburg, a Hercules aircraft from Clearwater and an Ocean Sentry aircraft from Miami, reported NBC affiliate WFLA .

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

As the search continues, Carnival said it's "providing support to the guest's family."

"Our thoughts are with them and the guest," the cruise line added.

Sunday's incident is the second time in two months that a passenger went overboard on a Carnival cruise ship off the coast of Florida. On May 29, a 35-year-old man, identified as Ronnie Lee Peale Jr ., was riding on the Carnival Magic ship when he went overboard. The boat was about 186 miles east of Jacksonville at the time.

The Coast Guard called off the search on May 31 after searching more than 5,171 square miles and 60 hours. “The decision to suspend the active search efforts pending further development is never one we take lightly. We offer our most sincere condolences to Mr. Peale’s family and friends," the Coast Guard said in a news release at the time.

Related Articles

• Updated Terms of Use
• New Privacy Policy
• Your Privacy Choices
• Closed Captioning Policy

Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by  Factset . Powered and implemented by  FactSet Digital Solutions .  Legal Statement .

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. FAQ - New Privacy Policy

Carnival cruise passenger seen in video moments before reportedly jumping off ship

The coast guard suspended its 14-hour search thursday evening.

FOX Business Headlines 2/18

Here are your FOX Business headlines. 

A Carnival cruise ship passenger was caught on camera struggling with security moments before she reportedly jumped overboard into the Gulf of Mexico. 

In the cell phone video obtained by FOX 8, the woman, 32, is seen being pulled to her feet by security guards on the deck of the Carnival Valor ship on Wednesday. 

The ship was on a five-day cruise to Mexico that departed Saturday, Carnival told FOX Business. 

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

The woman is then seen struggling as the guards try and hold her arms behind her back. At one point, the woman can be heard screaming "Alicia" before being escorted away by security. 

The clip cuts off and then shows passengers rushing to the edge of the ship looking over the balcony after the woman had reportedly already jumped into the water. Crew members were also seen rushing to the side with life preservers. 

Carnival told FOX Business that the passenger was never in handcuffs at any point during the incident. 

US Coast Guard responds to reports of cruise ship passenger overboard in Gulf of Mexico (WVUE-DT)

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE    

Other passengers posted videos to Twitter moments after the woman allegedly jumped, with one showing a life preserver floating in the water nearby. 

Carnival previously told Fox News that it received reports about a female guest who jumped overboard from her balcony while the ship was at sea. 

A company spokesperson said the ship’s command immediately began search and rescue procedures and returned to the area near where the incident occurred and notified the U.S. Coast Guard. 

"Carnival’s CARE team is providing support to the guest’s husband who was traveling with her," the spokesperson said. 

US COAST GUARD RESPONDS TO REPORTS OF CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER OVERBOARD IN GULF OF MEXICO

However, after 14 hours of searching, the Coast Guard announced that it suspended its mission. 

After getting the call Wednesday, U.S. Coast Guard District 8 began searching for the passenger approximately 150 miles offshore SouthWest Pass. 

Crews canvassed more than 2,514 square nautical miles off the coast of Louisiana. 

"The decision to suspend a search-and-rescue case is never one we come to lightly," said Chief Warrant Officer Tricia Eldredge, Command Duty Officer at Sector New Orleans. "We offer our deepest sympathies to the family during this difficult time."

The ship arrived back its home port of New Orleans on Thursday morning, Carnival said. 

FOX News' Bradford Betz contributed to this report. 

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Coast Guard Suspends Search for Passenger Who Fell From Cruise Ship

The U.S. Coast Guard said on Sunday that it halted its search for a woman who went overboard from a Carnival cruise ship near Ensenada, Mexico.

By Johnny Diaz

The U.S. Coast Guard suspended a 31-hour search for a passenger who fell off a cruise ship near Mexico, the authorities said on Sunday.

The woman, who was not immediately identified, was aboard a Carnival cruise ship when she fell on Saturday morning “from the balcony of her stateroom,” Carnival Cruise Line said in a statement. The company said the ship had been on a three-day cruise to Ensenada, Mexico, and the Coast Guard said the woman fell near there.

Carnival did not provide further details of how the woman fell overboard.

On Saturday, the Coast Guard said that it had deployed a cutter called the Forrest Rednour as well as a helicopter, and that it was working with Mexico’s Navy to find the woman.

Crews started searching early in the morning on Saturday and into Sunday, the Coast Guard said. It led a search of about 520 square nautical miles, it said.

One passenger told a California news station, KABC-TV , that he heard someone say, “Man overboard, man overboard port side” on the ship’s speakers. He said that when he looked over the balcony of his room, he saw crew members tossing life preservers into the water.

Daniel Miranda, another passenger, told the station that cruise officials said that they had “verified through the cameras” that a woman had fallen into the water. A photo he took, broadcast by the station, also showed that the area of the ship where the woman fell had been cordoned off with blue tape.

After more than 31 hours scouring the area, the Coast Guard said on Sunday that it had suspended its search “pending additional information.”

The cruise company said in its statement that after assisting the Coast Guard, its ship had returned to Long Beach, Calif., as scheduled on Dec. 12. “Our thoughts are with the guest and her family, and our Care Team is providing support,” the company said.

In California, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents went to the ship “with an evidence response team” to assist in the case, a spokeswoman for the bureau said on Monday.

It is increasingly uncommon for passengers to fall from cruise ships, according to Carolyn Spencer Brown, who has covered the cruise industry for about 25 years, currently as chief content officer of Cruise Media LLC.

“It’s becoming much more uncommon than it was 20 years ago,” she said, citing the “increasingly sophisticated design specifications” that have prioritized safety on ships.

“They are designed to keep you safe,” she continued. “You really don’t hear about it very often, and when it happens, typically there are other factors involved.”

In 2010, Congress passed the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act , which required ships be equipped with rails no shorter than 42 inches above the deck, and with alarms and other technology to help signal and find passengers who go overboard.

In 2018 and 2019, 26 and 29 people fell overboard from cruise and ferry ships, according to Cruisejunkie.com , which lists cases reported by the news media, including those involving people who jumped. In 2020 and 2021, when far fewer passengers took cruises because of the pandemic, the site recorded three incidents.

Ross A. Klein, who tracks the cases of people who fall overboard on his website, Cruisejunkie.com, wrote in a June 2019 report that information on people who fall overboard is limited “as cases may not be publicly reported.”

Falls overboard could involve intoxication, accidents or deliberate jumps, Mr. Klein’s report said, but he warned there was reason to be cautious with labels because of the lack of information.

“Alcohol intoxication is known in only a small percentage of cases, largely because there is no systematic reporting of persons overboard, and no accounting of behavior prior to a disappearance (such as alcohol consumption),” the report said.

Asked about how many people have fallen overboard from Carnival ships in recent years, a spokeswoman for the company said she did not have any further information other than the statement about this weekend’s search.

The ship traveling to Ensenada this weekend, the Carnival Miracle, debuted in 2004 and can accommodate more than 2,100 guests and 934 crew members, according to the company.

Johnny Diaz is a general assignment reporter covering breaking news. He previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel and The Boston Globe. More about Johnny Diaz

Come Sail Away

Love them or hate them, cruises can provide a unique perspective on travel..

Icon Class Ships: Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas has been a hit among cruise goers. The cruise line is adding to its fleet of megaships ,  but they have drawn criticism from environmental groups.

 Cruise Ship Surprises: Here are five unexpected features on ships , some of which you hopefully won’t discover on your own.

 Icon of the Seas: Our reporter joined thousands of passengers on the inaugural sailing of Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas . The most surprising thing she found? Some actual peace and quiet .

Th ree-Year Cruise, Unraveled:  The Life at Sea cruise was supposed to be the ultimate bucket-list experience : 382 port calls over 1,095 days. Here’s why  those who signed up are seeking fraud charges  instead.

TikTok’s Favorite New ‘Reality Show’:  People on social media have turned the unwitting passengers of a nine-month world cruise  into  “cast members”  overnight.

Dipping Their Toes: Younger generations of travelers are venturing onto ships for the first time . Many are saving money.

latest in US News

Three teens stabbed, fourth slashed outside Bronx high school

Harvey Weinstein is recovering, but 'in a lot of pain' following...

Tim Walz's China travel company was shut down after he failed to...

Bridgeport man charged in fatal wrong-way collision on Hutch had...

Disneyland mega fans spend $400K in losing legal battle trying to...

Two Adams allies being eyed by feds for potentially influencing...

Man accidentally drives girlfriend's SUV into hidden sinkhole on...

9/11 FDNY first responders killed by Ground Zero toxins rises to...

Breaking news, overboard carnival passenger was seconds from death before rescue: coast guard.

A US Coast Guard member who took part in the remarkable rescue of a passenger who fell off a Carnival cruise ship said the man was just seconds away from death — after floating alone for over 15 hours in the Gulf of Mexico.

“He had no energy. He had nothing left to give,” Richard Hoefle, an aviation survival technician, told WWL-TV .

“My best guess is that he had between a minute and 30 seconds left before we lost him completely.”

Hoefle was on duty on Thanksgiving night when he received word that a passenger on the Carnival Valor had plunged into the Gulf of Mexico.

Dramatic video captured the rescuer plucking an exhausted James Grimes some 20 miles south of Louisiana’s Southwest Pass after the crew of a cargo ship spotted him treading water.

The Guardsman handed Grimes a rescue sling before he was hoisted onto the hovering MH-60 Jayhawk chopper, which carried three other crew members.

“Once I handed that to him, he just collapsed into it. He didn’t have … he couldn’t talk to me. I was able to get his name and the cruise ship he had fallen off of,” Hoefle told the news outlet.

With water temperature of about 70 degrees, Grimes was battling hypothermia.

“It’s hard to keep your mind in the right place, and then to throw that Hail Mary last couple of minutes of waving, swinging a sock around, anything to make himself more visible to us, that’s survival,” Hoefle said.

“He just had an incredible will to survive. And he did whatever he had to do,” he said.

Hoefle described the various ways people react when rescued at sea.

“Some people break down and cry, some people are in shock, and they don’t know what’s going on, some people are ecstatic and they act a little crazy because they are so happy to be out of the situation that they are in,” he told WWL-TV.

“That was a one in a million and we got it done,” the Coast Guard member added.

The mission to rescue Grimes involved an area the size of Rhode Island, Hoefle said.

The account of the heroic rescue comes after it was reported that Grimes had gotten in trouble for vaping and was likely drunk when he went missing from the Cozumel, Mexico-bound ship.

Valor passenger Whitney Gaines  told the Daily Mail  that she heard his family talking about him during breakfast the morning after he disappeared.

They talked about how “he kept getting in trouble for vaping in non-designated smoke areas, because there’s only one area where you can really go smoke,” she told the news outlet.

“I think they were kind of alluding to the fact that he stepped out to go somewhere,” Gaines said, adding that Grimes’ family believed he had been intoxicated.

The Coast Guard told WWL-TV that its New Orleans unit is one of the most active for rescues, adding that this October and November have been one of its busiest times.

Advertisement

Search halted for woman who fell overboard from Carnival cruise ship

LONG BEACH, Calif. — U.S. Coast Guard authorities have halted the search for a woman who went overboard on a cruise ship near Ensenada, Mexico.

Authorities searched more than 31 hours for the woman before pausing the search on Sunday pending additional information, Petty Officer First Class Adam Stanton said Sunday.

The woman in her mid-20s was reported to have gone overboard early Saturday, he said.

The Carnival Miracle cruise ship was returning Sunday to the port in Long Beach, where federal authorities were waiting to investigate, KABC-TV  reported.

Ship passenger Daniel Miranda said an announcement went out early Saturday that someone had gone overboard, and that areas of the ship were cordoned off and limited information was provided.

The woman was not immediately identified. The ship left Los Angeles area on Thursday.

Virgin Islands Free Press

Virgin Islands Free Press/Latest News and Updates

Coast Guard Searching For Man Who Fell From Cruise Ship Off Florida Coast

JACKSONVILLE — The U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday that it’s searching for a man who fell from a cruise ship off the coast of Florida.

The 35-year-old passenger fell from the Carnival Magic ship about 186 miles (300 kilometers) east of Jacksonville on Monday, the service said in a statement. Aircraft and ships are being used in the search.

The man’s companion reported him missing late Monday afternoon, the statement said. It said security footage on the ship shows that the man “leaned over the railing of his stateroom balcony and dropped into the water” around 4 a.m.

Carnival said the Coast Guard released the ship from search efforts and told the captain to head back to port in Norfolk, Virginia. The ship can hold nearly 4,000 guests and is about 1,000 feet (300 meters) long.