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A Man Fell From a Cruise Ship. And Survived.

He treaded water for hours in the Gulf of Mexico, withstanding rain, winds and waves before he was rescued. Others have not been so lucky. What happens when a person goes overboard?

By Maria Cramer

The Carnival Valor had been at sea for only a day when calls came over the loudspeaker asking a certain passenger to please report to customer service.

The man, a 28-year-old American citizen, had been reported missing by his family that morning.

It was Thanksgiving, and the Valor, a 3,756-passenger cruise ship that had left New Orleans the day before, was heading toward Cozumel, Mexico.

Crew members soon began searching passengers’ cabins, said Shant’a Miller White, who was traveling with her husband and family. One employee entered her cousin’s cabin and said, “We just need to make sure everything is OK.”

“We didn’t know what was going on,” Ms. White, 48, recalled. Then, at dinner, came another announcement: The ship needed to change course to execute a search and rescue operation.

Ms. White pictured the unknown passenger alone in the water and felt sick to her stomach.

“Did they fall to the bottom? Did the sharks get them?” Ms. White recalled thinking. She began to pray.

The passenger, according to the Coast Guard, turned out to be James Grimes, 28, who had been traveling with his parents and siblings on the five-day cruise. His family had last seen him the night before, around 11 p.m.

But by 10:45 on Thanksgiving morning, when there was no sign of him, the family notified the crew, the Coast Guard said.

At 8:10 p.m., more than nine hours after his family reported him missing, a passing tanker spotted the man near the mouth of the Mississippi River and alerted the Coast Guard.

Rescuers found Mr. Grimes struggling in the water, waving frantically and trying to keep his head above the surface.

When the crew of the MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter lifted him out, he was in shock, had mild hypothermia and was extremely dehydrated, said Lt. Seth Gross, who managed the search and rescue operation for the Coast Guard. But he was alive and in stable condition.

Mr. Grimes, whose family described him as an exceptional swimmer, had treaded in 65- to 70-degree water for hours, withstanding rain, 20-knot winds and three- to five-foot waves in the Gulf of Mexico, where bull sharks and blacktip sharks are common, Coast Guard officials said.

“This case is certainly extraordinary,” Lieutenant Gross said. “The survival instinct, the will to survive is just crazy.”

How often does this happen?

Falling from a ship into a vast sea may be a cruise passenger’s worst nightmare. While the chances of going overboard are exceedingly remote, according to statistics from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) , the outcome is usually tragic.

In 2019, 25 people fell overboard, and only nine of them were rescued, according to CLIA.

In February, a woman aboard the Carnival Valor jumped off the 10th deck of the ship while fleeing security officers who were trying to detain her after she had scuffled with them. Her body was never found.

In December 2016, a 22-year-old man fell off the 12th deck of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship after a night of heavy drinking. His parents sued the cruise line in federal court in Florida, but a jury decided in favor of Royal Caribbean.

Alcohol is a factor in at least 11 percent of falls from cruise ships, which often offer all-inclusive drink packages that encourage drinking onboard, said Ross Klein, a professor of social work at Memorial University of Newfoundland, who researches cruise safety.

“Cruises are viewed as idyllic, safe and secure, and of course those views are reinforced by advertising and public statements,” he said. But the public should be aware of the risks of going on a cruise, which include being pushed overboard, going overboard and being tempted to jump overboard, he said.

How do ships prevent people from going overboard?

By law, railings have to be 42 inches tall, Professor Klein said. There were efforts to make the railings taller by about another foot, he said, after Congress began considering legislation to tighten security on ships in 2005. But in 2010, when Congress passed the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act, the railing height requirements were set at the current standard, he said.

The railing height is designed to keep passengers safe along ship promenades, said Brian Salerno, the senior vice president for Maritime policy at CLIA.

“The vast majority of cases are either reckless behavior or some form of intentional act,” Mr. Salerno said. “People don’t just inadvertently fall over the side of a ship.”

Professor Klein said cruise ships could limit the risks of passengers falling overboard if they limited alcohol consumption, increased railing heights and installed technology that senses when a heavy object has fallen from the ship.

The 2010 law directed cruise ships to begin developing and installing such technology, Mr. Salerno said.

It took years to create a video-surveillance system that would be sensitive enough to detect a person falling overboard and alarm a ship’s crew but that wouldn’t be triggered by other objects, like a sea gull flying by, he said. Some ships have already begun installing such systems, Mr. Salerno said.

Bartenders on cruises are also trained to watch for excessive drinking, said Robert Kritzman, a partner at Clyde & Co., an international law firm in Miami, who advises cruise companies.

“The general policy is the same as anywhere else: Once somebody becomes excessively intoxicated, you stop serving,” he said.

Carnival Corp. said the “only way to go overboard is to purposefully climb up and over the safety barriers.”

“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,” the company said in a statement that thanked the Coast Guard and the mariner who found Mr. Grimes. “Guests should never ever climb up on the rails.”

A spokesman did not respond to follow up questions about the incident or Carnival’s safety protocols.

What happens when the crew learns that a person has gone overboard?

Cruise ships have clear protocols for what to do when a person goes overboard, Mr. Kritzman said.

Once the crew members learn that a person has gone overboard, they immediately inform the Coast Guard, stop the ship and turn around to help find the missing passenger. Often, smaller, fast boats are deployed from the ship to search for the person, Mr. Kritzman said.

The circumstances around the recent fall from the Carnival Valor, including the precise time that Mr. Grimes went overboard, remain unknown. The Coast Guard said it was investigating the incident.

Lieutenant Gross said that after the Coast Guard learned about the missing passenger, it launched a 45-foot patrol boat, a helicopter and a tracker plane to search for him. The Coast Guard set up a search area of more than 7,000 square nautical miles, roughly the size of Massachusetts, he said, and immediately alerted any mariners around the Gulf of Mexico to look for the man.

The Crinis , a bulk carrier, spotted Mr. Grimes about 20 miles south of Southwest Pass, a channel at the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Lt. Gross said he called the man’s mother and stepfather to tell them he had been found.

When he told them their son was stable and being treated at a hospital in New Orleans, he heard them cheer and cry.

Ms. White, who lives in Hampton, Va., and runs an anti-bullying organization , said she was flooded with relief when the ship announced that Mr. Grimes had been found alive.

“That was nothing but God that he survived,” she said.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook . And sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to receive expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places for a Changed World for 2022.

Maria Cramer is a reporter on the Travel desk. Please send her tips, questions and complaints about traveling, especially on cruises. More about Maria Cramer

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

U.S. Coast Guard rescued James Michael Grimes after almost 20 hours, he says.

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.

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.

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.

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Cruise passenger who survived 20 hours overboard has no idea how he fell.

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

The 28-year-old Carnival cruise ship passenger who somehow stayed alive for 20 hours after falling overboard on Thanksgiving eve says the last thing he remembers onboard was winning an air guitar contest in one of the ship lounges.

James Michael Grimes told ABC News in an interview that aired Friday morning that he likely passed out when he fell from the Carnival Valor into the water, but was so determined to survive he willed himself to stay afloat.

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

EXCLUSIVE: James Michael Grimes said he treaded water for nearly 20 hours after falling overboard overboard on a Carnival cruise ship on Thanksgiving Eve -- battling jelly fish, rip currents and shark-infested waters before being airlifted by the U.S. Coast Guard. @evapilgrim pic.twitter.com/DE4n6vdLhA — Good Morning America (@GMA) December 2, 2022

That unbelievable determination led him to tread shark-invested water for 20 hours, where he says he battled jellyfish and rip tides. “I always thought there’s a greater purpose for my life,” he told ABC. “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.”

Faith, of course, and the help of the cargo ship that alerted the U.S. Coast Guard team searching for him after his sister reported him missing from the cruise ship, which was bound for Cozumel, Mexico. Grimes was rescued by the Jayhawk crew after a mariner spotted him in the water. “We are beyond grateful that this case ended with a positive outcome,” Coast Guard search and rescue mission coordinator Lt. Seth Gross told ABC in a statement. “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 statement went on to imply that perhaps Grimes breached the safety barrier. “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,” the statement says. “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.”

Grimes, who was on the five-day cruise to Cozumel with 18 members of his family, did admit to drinking but said he has no recollection at all of how he managed to fall off the ship. When asked if he would ever go on a cruise again, he said he would “because I didn’t really get to go on this one,” but said would stay away from the rails.

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Cruise passenger who fell overboard rescued in ‘Thanksgiving miracle’

US coast guard located man about 20 miles south of Southwest Pass, Louisiana, after he fell overboard the Carnival Valor ship

In what some officials were hailing as a “Thanksgiving miracle” a passenger was rescued from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday evening after falling overboard from a cruise ship, the US coast guard (USCG) announced.

At 8.25pm on Thursday, the coast guard located a 28-year-old man in the sea about 20 miles south of Southwest Pass, Louisiana , after he apparently fell overboard the New Orleans-to-Mexico Carnival Valor cruise ship on Wednesday evening.

In a statement to CNN, Carnival officials said the man was reported missing on Thanksgiving Day after he walked away from his sister at an onboard bar the night before at 11pm – likely to use the bathroom.

He never returned, prompting his sister to alert staff members the next day. CNN reports that numerous announcements were made throughout the ship for the man to check in with guest service, but to no avail.

At around 2.30pm on Thursday, the cruise ship alerted the coast guard about the missing passenger.

“Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a call from the Carnival Valor at approximately 2.30pm Thursday, reporting a passenger aboard the cruise ship was missing. Watchstanders then coordinated the launch of several rescue crews to begin searching,” the coast guard said in a statement .

The rescue crews included a boat from Venice, Florida, a New Orleans-based helicopter, as well as airplanes from Clearwater, Florida and Mobile, Alabama, Lt Seth Gross, a USCG search and rescue coordinator told CNN.

The 200-plus-mile search was made complicated by the time difference between when the passenger was last seen and when the Coast Guard was alerted. “We knew that communication with the mariners in the Gulf of Mexico was going to be critical, Gross said.

Six hours later, crew members from the vessel Crinis discovered “a person in the water”, the USCG said.

The person turned out to be the missing passenger.

Aircrew from the coast guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter promptly “vectored into the area … hoisted the man on to the helicopter and transferred him to awaiting emergency medical services at the New Orleans Lakefront airport”, said the USCG.

“He was able to identify his name, confirmed that he was the individual that fell overboard,” Gross told CNN. “He was showing signs of hypothermia, shock, dehydration” but was reported to be in stable condition by the coast guard late Friday morning.

“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,” Gross said, adding that the water temperature on Thursday night in the gulf was just slightly above 70F (21C).

Gross added: “The will to live is something you have to account for in every search and rescue case. This is one of the absolutely longest [times in the water] I’ve heard about and one of those Thanksgiving miracles.”

Most viewed

Cruise Passenger Who Survived 20 Hours Overboard Has No Idea How He Fell

James Michael Grimes says he spent 20 hours treading water before being rescued by the Coast Guard.

Barbie Latza Nadeau

Kathleen Flynn/Reuters

The 28-year-old Carnival cruise ship passenger who somehow stayed alive for 20 hours after falling overboard on Thanksgiving eve says the last thing he remembers onboard was winning an air guitar contest in one of the ship lounges.

James Michael Grimes told ABC News in an interview that aired Friday morning that he likely passed out when he fell from the Carnival Valor into the water, but was so determined to survive he willed himself to stay afloat.

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

That unbelievable determination led him to tread shark-invested water for 20 hours, where he says he battled jellyfish and rip tides. “I always thought there’s a greater purpose for my life,” he told ABC. “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.”

Faith, of course, and the help of the cargo ship that alerted the U.S. Coast Guard team searching for him after his sister reported him missing from the cruise ship, which was bound for Cozumel, Mexico. Grimes was rescued by the Jayhawk crew after a mariner spotted him in the water. “We are beyond grateful that this case ended with a positive outcome,” Coast Guard search and rescue mission coordinator Lt. Seth Gross told ABC in a statement. “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 statement went on to imply that perhaps Grimes breached the safety barrier. “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,” the statement says. “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.”

Grimes, who was on the five-day cruise to Cozumel with 18 members of his family, did admit to drinking but said he has no recollection at all of how he managed to fall off the ship. When asked if he would ever go on a cruise again, he said he would “because I didn’t really get to go on this one,” but said would stay away from the rails.

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast  here .

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A cruise ship passenger managed to survive 15 hours at sea after falling overboard over the Thanksgiving weekend in the US.

The unnamed 28-year-old man had been on Carnival Cruise Line’s Valor vessel on a sailing in the Gulf of Mexico when the incident occurred.

The alarm was raised by his sister when he failed to return to the bar after going to the toilet on 23 November.

A full-scale search of the ship commenced, with photos of the man shown to guests and the Valor’s pool drained.

At around 2pm on Thursday, this search was abandoned as it was clear the man was no longer on the ship.

The cruise liner, which had been due to sail to the Mexican island of Cozumel, retraced its steps, while the Coast Guard and all ships within a 300km area were called in to help look for the missing man.

In what Carnival dubbed a “Thanksgiving Miracle”, the man was spotted 30km off the coast of Southwest Pass, a channel at the mouth of the Mississippi River in southeast Louisiana.

Cargo carrier CRINIS first identified the man, before alerting the Coast Guard, which used a helicopter to winch him out of the sea - 15 hours after he’d first fallen in.

“He was able to identify his name, confirmed that he was the individual that fell overboard,” Lt. Seth Gross, rescue coordinator for the US Coast Guard, told CNN .

“He was showing signs of hypothermia, shock, dehydration.”

Video shared by USCG Heartland shows footage of the man being spotted at sea.

The man has since been transported to New Orleans, where he spent the weekend in hospital under medical observation.

The Carnival Valor continued on its way to Cozumel, with passengers and crew given the “miraculous” news of the man’s rescue last Thursday night.

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Live updates, carnival passenger james grimes reveals how he survived 20 hours overboard.

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The Alabama man who  fell off a Carnival cruise ship  and miraculously survived nearly 20 hours treading water says he fought off what he feared was a shark and was forced to eat floating bamboo as he desperately clung to hope he would be rescued.

James Michael Grimes told  ABC News  on Friday that he went into survival mode after he plunged from the Carnival Valor ship and into the shark-infested waters of the Gulf of Mexico the night of Nov. 23.

“My worst fear is drowning, and that’s something I didn’t want to face,” he said, adding that he knew he just had to “swim and survive.”

As he was treading the choppy waters during his nearly 20-hour ordeal, Grimes recalled being approached by a huge creature he initially thought was a shark.

“I was swimming in one direction, and I looked around, and I seen it out of the corner of my eye,” Grime said. “It came up on me really quick, and I went under.

“It wasn’t a shark, I don’t believe. It had more like a flat mouth and came up and bumped one of my legs, and I kicked it with the other leg. It scared me, not knowing what it was. All I could see was a fin.”

At one point, Grime said a stick came floating by that looked like bamboo.

“So I started eating on it and it actually, I won’t say it tasted good, but it gave some type of flavor in my mouth other than salt water,” he said.

Grimes says he tried not to lose hope as the hours wore on.  

“When it started getting back towards nighttime again, the water started getting colder, [and] at that time I thought, you know, how much longer am I going to have to be out here?” he said.

“I was hoping… they will start looking for me… they will find me eventually.  

“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, who was on the five-day Thanksgiving cruise with 18 family members, was  reported missing by his sister  about 12 hours after he left the ship’s bar to use the bathroom and failed to return.

His disappearance prompted the Cozumel, Mexico-bound vessel to retrace its path toward New Orleans and the US Coast Guard to launch a frantic search.

Grimes was  eventually spotted by a cargo ship,  and dramatic video showed him being plucked from the ocean by the Coast Guard about 20 miles south of Louisiana’s Southwest Pass.

Speaking about the moment he first spotted the cargo ship, Grimes said he was doing everything he could to catch its attention.

“I had taken off my socks and everything waving them around my head trying to do something where they would see me,” he said.

His rescuers believe he was moments away from perishing in the water given the hypothermia, shock and dehydration he was suffering from.

“The fall didn’t kill me, sea creatures didn’t eat me — I felt like I was meant to get out of there,” Grimes said.

He doesn’t recall how he fell overboard, insisting the last thing he remembers was winning an air-guitar contest in one of the ship’s lounges.

Grimes denied being drunk but couldn’t recall how many drinks he had in the lead-up.

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

It still isn’t clear how Grimes ended up overboard, but the US Coast Guard appeared to suggest he may have breached the cruise ship’s safety barriers.

“Cruise ships have safety barriers in all public areas that are regulated by US Coast Guard standards that prevent a guest from falling off,” the agency said in a statement.

“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.”

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Carnival Cruise Ship Passenger Talks Surviving for 20 Hours in Water After Falling Off Ship

An Alabama man who fell off a Carnival cruise ship spoke with ABC News about surviving after falling off the ship and treading water for nearly 20 hours.

View this video on YouTube

An Alabama man who fell off a Carnival cruise ship spoke to ABC News this week about surviving after treading water for nearly 20 hours.

James Grimes, 28, claims he isn’t sure how he fell off the Carnival Valor ship into the Gulf of Mexico the night of Nov. 23. “The next thing I know… I regained consciousness. I was in the water with no boat in sight,” he said.

Grimes, who was aboard the five-day cruise with 18 of his family members for Thanksgiving, was reported missing by his sister after he didn’t make it back to his cabin that night. Grimes was last seen with his sister at a restaurant, before he went to the restroom and wasn’t heard from again.

As soon as he was aware of his situation, Grimes says he decided he was going to make it out of there alive.

“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.

Grimes also said he survived due to sheer determination to see his family again. 

“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.

Grimes, who his rescuers believe was moments away from dying due to the hypothermia, shock and dehydration he was suffering from, was airlifted by the U.S. Coast Guard on Nov. 24. shortly after 8 p.m.

“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 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.”

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Cruise ship passenger survives 10 hours after falling into Adriatic Sea

A cruise ship passenger who was rescued from the Adriatic Sea 10 hours after falling overboard is in “excellent condition,” a doctor said Monday.

The 46-year-old British woman is “very healthy,” Irena Hristic, director of the Pula Clinic in Croatia, told reporters.

“Probably that's the only way she survived,” the doctor added. “She's nice lady. A healthy lady."

The rescued passenger, who identified herself to reporters as Kay, fell from the rear deck of the Norwegian Star as it sailed from Dubrovnik to Venice.

The crew of the ship turned the vessel around and used surveillance video to pinpoint where the woman entered the water — at about midnight on Saturday night, 60 miles offshore.

The exact circumstances of how she fell remained unclear.

However, Hristic said the relatively warm waters of the Adriatic Sea, between Italy and Croatia, likely prevented the onset of hypothermia.

“She doesn't have any bad injuries on her body,” the doctor said. “I'm also surprised that after 10 hours she is looking so good and that she's in … excellent condition."

As the woman stepped off a Croatian rescue boat Sunday, she told local broadcaster HRT that she fell from the cruise ship.

“I was in the water for 10 hours, so these wonderful guys rescued me,” she said, adding, “I am very lucky to be alive.”

The rescue boat captain, Lovro Oreskovic, described her as exhausted. "We were extremely happy for saving a human life," he said.

Lynne Cox, a long-distance swimmer and author of "Open Water Swimming Manual: An Expert's Survival Guide for Triathletes and Open Water Swimmers," said that being able to relax and gently tread water is crucial to surviving a long stretch in open water.

“If you are in going to do a long or cold swim, you need to feed along the way,” Cox said.

But perhaps the most important to element to surviving 10 hours is believing that you can, Cox said.

“Her resolve must be really substantial,” she said. “To be that far, to be alone, to be in the middle of the sea and keep hanging on there for 10 hours — she must have had a lot she wanted to live for.”

In a statement, Norwegian Cruise Line said: “We are very happy that the individual, who is a U.K. resident, is now safe and will soon be reunited with friends and family.”

• Cruise News

Passenger Falls From Cruise Ship, Survives

Doug Parker

• June 30, 2023

A woman fell from a cruise ship last Sunday afternoon, was promptly rescued, and survived without any serious injuries.

The 42-year-old American, who has yet to be identified, fell from the 10th deck of the Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas . The US Coast Guard was notified of the emergency and the cruise ship immediately dispatched a rescue boat.

Passengers anxiously awaited her rescue and stood by the balconies and decks to try and locate the woman and aid rescue efforts. While many feared the worst after such a steep fall, they were relieved when the vessel’s rescue personnel returned unharmed with the fallen passenger. The search and rescue operation took around an hour.

Despite falling considerably, the woman seemed well enough and didn’t require immediate medical evaluation. She was later brought to the ship’s medical facilities before being transferred to a hospital at its next stop for a more thorough evaluation. Currently, the US Coast Guard is investigating why and how she fell.

The incident occurred at around 5:44 PM, about 31 miles from the southern shores of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. At the time, the ship was en route to Willemstad, Curacao. It is scheduled to return to Port Canaveral, Florida on July 1.

“Miraculous” Rescue?

After the rescue, many news outlets are calling the rescue “miraculous.” But how fatal are man-overboard situations based on actual incidents? 

Leading industry organization Cruise Lines International Organization (CLIA) reported in 2020 that out of 212 man-overboard situations, only 28.2% had successful rescues. Sea survival expert Mike Tipton pegs the survival rate even lower at 10% to 15% .

What Should You Do if You See Someone Fall Overboard?

If you see someone fall overboard from a cruise ship, here are some tips to maximize the chances of a successful rescue:

• Immediately yell, “Man overboard!,” to alert any crew in the vicinity.
• Throw a brightly colored flotation device toward the overboard passenger. Even if they can’t reach it, it can help mark their position for the search.

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Pregnant Disney Cruise Passenger Airlifted Off Ship by U.S. Coast Guard: See Video

The 'Disney Fantasy' was 180 miles out at sea when Coast Guard members responded to a medical emergency involving the 35-year-old patient

Natalia Senanayake is an Editorial Assistant, Lifestyle at PEOPLE. She covers all things travel and home, from celebrities' luxury mansions to breaking travel news.

• A video shared by the U.S. Coast Guard on April 16 shows a passenger aboard the Disney Fantasy being airlifted into a helicopter 
• In the clip, the U.S. Coast Guard successfully performs a medevac for the pregnant patient
• The Disney Cruise Line ship was located 180 miles from land when the Coast Guard responded to the call

A pregnant passenger aboard the Disney Fantasy was airlifted from the ship after experiencing health complications on April 15. 

The Disney Cruise Line vessel was 180 miles northwest of Puerto Rico in the Atlantic Ocean when the passenger “required a higher level of medical care ashore,” according to an April 16 press release from the U.S. Coast Guard. 

A video of the incident shows the Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter aircrew executing a medevac in order to transport the patient safely to land by helicopter. 

In the harrowing clip, an aircrew member gets lowered by rope onto the ship and at least seven crew members are seen carrying the woman on a stretcher. Per the release, the aircrew’s rescue swimmer then “prepared a rescue basket and litter to safely hoist the patient and cruise ship doctor aboard the aircraft.”

United States Coast Guard

The patient was met by local emergency medical responders at the Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She was then transported to the local Centro Medico Hospital.

According to the release, Coast Guard members first got the call that there was a medical emergency aboard the ship on the morning of Monday, April 15. 

“Watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a communication from the Disney Fantasy Monday morning requesting medevac assistance as the cruise ship was transiting 260 nautical miles northwest of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico,” according to the release. 

Lt. Cmdr. Todd Stephens stated in the release: “Our crew was able to quickly, safely, and efficiently execute a long-range MEDEVAC for the patient to receive the higher level of care she required. This case demonstrates the value of good crew resource management and the capabilities of our Jayhawk helicopter.”

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 juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Echoing a similar sentiment, Ensign Michael Riccio, Coast Guard Sector San Juan operations unit leader for the case, said, “The competency displayed by the Disney Fantasy crew and the Coast Guard personnel and units involved made all the difference.”

Disney Cruise Line did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

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Norwegian Cruise Line passengers were stranded on a small African island after missing a deadline to re-embark

• A couple says they were stranded on an island after missing their cruise ship's boarding time.
• They were on a tour of São Tomé and Príncipe with six others, per US local media. It overran.
• The stranded group flew to Gambia on Sunday, hoping to catch the ship at another port.

A couple says they were stranded on a small African island after they missed a cruise ship 's boarding deadline, according to local media.

Jay and Jill Campbell, from Garden City, South Carolina, described their ordeal with a Norwegian Cruise Line ship in an interview with WPDE, their local ABC affiliate.

Norwegian confirmed to Business Insider that they were denied boarding, saying it was their responsibility to be on time.

The Campbells said they were frequent cruisers, embarking on Norwegian Dawn on March 20 for their third voyage with the cruise line in a year.

However, an excursion last Wednesday with six other people to São Tomé and Príncipe , an island nation of some 220,000 people off West Africa, took an unfortunate turn.

The couple says the tour overran, and its operator informed the captain that eight passengers were running late.

They were refused entry to the ship upon their return, according to WPDE, even though they could still see the ship from the shore.

The ship was anchored, Jay Campbell said, but the captain refused to let them board despite repeated calls and emails by the passengers to the ship and the cruise line's emergency hotline.

The São Tomé and Príncipe Coast Guard even took the passengers to the ship, but they weren't able to get on and had to turn back, WPDE reported.

In total, WPDE said that nine passengers were not allowed to reenter the ship, including four elderly people and one person who is a paraplegic.

The Campbells told the news outlet that the ninth passenger was late for another reason — an 80-year-old woman who got a concussion on the island and was hospitalized there.

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Most of the stranded passengers didn't have their medication or working credit cards, WPDE said.

The Campbells, who had a working card, said they covered $5,000 worth of expenses for the group in food, toiletries, and hotel bills.

"We have never had an experience like this before," Jill Campbell told WPDE.

The Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement provided to BI by email that eight guests on the tour missed the last tender back to the vessel.

The cruise line said the passengers missed the "all aboard time of 3 p.m. local time." It said it was a "very unfortunate situation" but that passengers were responsible for being on time.

It added that the deadline to return was "communicated broadly" over the ship's intercom, in printed communications, and on posts shown at the exits of the ship.

The elderly passenger who was concussed was returned to the US, where she has made a "safe return," a spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line said.

According to WPDE, the group flew to Gambia on Sunday, hoping to rejoin the ship at another port.

A spokesperson for the cruise line said that the ship could not safely dock in Gambia due to adverse weather conditions, adding that efforts are being made for the guests to rejoin the ship in Senegal on Tuesday.

Though cruise ships need to stay punctual, ruined-vacation stories like this are a reputational risk and might put people off.

For instance, two MSC Splendida passengers were stranded last summer at an Italian port after arriving too late for departure.

A TikTok video showed the couple waving and begging the crew to wait for them, even though the gangway appeared to have already been removed.

Other passengers may face the stress of becoming stranded in remote locations through no fault of their own. Last September, more than 200 people got stuck in a remote part of Greenland after their cruise ship ran aground.

And last November, passengers were stranded at a Brisbane port after a Royal Caribbean ship was overbooked.

Watch: Stowaways survive 14 days at sea clinging to a ship rudder

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