Missing cruise passenger rescued after over 15 hours in ocean
A passenger on a Carnival Valor cruise ship has been rescued by the US Coast Guard after spending more than 15 hours in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
The 28-year-old was with his sister at the ship’s bar on the night of Wednesday, November 23, but didn’t return after he left to use the toilet.
According to a statement from Carnival, the sister reported her brother missing the following day.
Another passenger on the cruise, Mike Anderson, told CNN that announcements were made on the ship and people “noticed security starting to search the boat with a photo of the missing (passenger) in their phones”.
Mr Anderson said passengers were later told their arrival to their port of call in Cozumel, Mexico, was delayed, while his wife said one of the pools was drained.
After a lengthy search, the man was finally spotted about 30 kilometres off the coast of Louisiana on Thursday night by rescue crews that had been scouring a 320-kilometre area along the gulf.
Lieutenant Seth Gross of the US Coast Guard said the man may have been in the water for over 15 hours, the “absolute longest that I’ve heard about”.
He said that “all available resources” were launched to locate the man, including a small boat from Florida, a New Orleans-based helicopter, and planes from Florida and Alabama.
The man was hoisted onto the helicopter and was responsive.
"He was able to identify his name, confirmed that he was the individual that fell overboard," Lieutenant Gross told CNN on Friday, adding that the man had signs of “hypothermia, shock and dehydration” but could walk and talk.
"The fact that he was able to keep himself afloat and above the surface of the water for such an extended period of time, it's just something you can't take for granted and certainly something that'll stick with me forever," Lieutenant Gross added, describing it as “just one of those Thanksgiving miracles”.
He said that the case was unlike anything he had seen in his 17-year career with the Coast Guard and “could have had a much more difficult ending”.
"It took a total team effort from Coast Guard watchstanders, response crews, and our professional maritime partners operating in the Gulf of Mexico to locate the missing individual and get him to safety,” he said.
While the man has been reported to be in a stable condition, it is still unclear how or when he fell into the water.
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