man fell overboard cruise ship interview

Cruise ship passenger who went overboard was 'dead set' on surviving during 20-hour wait for rescue

U.S. Coast Guard rescued James Michael Grimes after almost 20 hours battling rip currents and shark-infested waters, he says.

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.

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.

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.

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Cruise passenger who fell overboard tells how he survived 15 hours in the water and battled ‘sea creature’

A coast guard rescuer who saved mr grimes estimated the man had at most a minute left before he succumbed to the waves when they found him, article bookmarked.

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James Michael Grimes’ Thanksgiving was unorthodox.

After winning an air guitar contest, he toppled off the side of a cruise ship , battled a "sea creature," treaded water for more than half a day, and survived on bamboo — or maybe just some kind of stick — until the Coast Guard picked him up the next day.

And, according to him, though alcohol was consumed, it did not play a part in the chain of events.

Mr Grimes, 28, survived a harrowing 15 hours at sea that could have turned tragic had he not managed to keep himself afloat while waves washed over him in the Gulf of Mexico .

Mr Grimes and his sister were on a Carnival cruise ship departing from New Orleans and bound for Cozumel, Mexico on 23 November. At some point that evening, Mr Grimes’ sister noticed he had left to use the restroom and had not returned. After failing to return the following day, she reported him missing and, a few hours later, the Coast Guard was notified that the man had vanished.

• Man who disappeared off Carnival cruise rescued in gulf of Mexico
• Simon Calder answers your travel questions on cruise Covid rules and much more

According to Mr Grimes, who gave an interview to ABC News’ Good Morning America about his ordeal, that night he had just won an air guitar competition in one of the ship’s lounges and had hit the bar to celebrate.

He said he did not have "tons" of drinks and that he "couldn’t really say" how much booze he had actually consumed, but assured the interviewer he was not drunk at the time.

Whatever the case, the next thing he remembers is floating around in the Gulf of Mexico without a ship in sight.

He treaded water for hours, noting during the interview that he was terrified of drowning and was desperate to see his family again.

"I wanted to see my family and I was dead set on making it out of there, you know. I was never accepting that this is it. This is going to be the end of my life," he said during the interview.

As he fought to stay above the waves, Mr Grimes claims he had an encounter with a "sea creature" that he initially worried could have been a shark. He claims the creature had a fin and bumped his leg, spooking him to the point where he felt the need to kick at the animal.

"I thought it was a shark. I mean, I was swimming in one direction and looked around I seen it out the corner of my eye and it came up on me really quick and went under and I could see it and it wasn’t a shark," he said.

He saw the fish had a "flat mouth" just before it bumped him, prompting him to kick at it.

Mr Grimes had nothing to eat or drink for the duration of his time floating in the Gulf. That’s why when a stick that he says "looked like bamboo" floated by him he scooped it up and began chewing on it. Though he has no idea if it provided any nutritional value, he did note that it at least provided the comfort of tasting something other than salt water.

He began to worry as night fell — the water’s temperature cooled, and his body was running out of energy — but he says he remained positive, believing he had survived for a reason.

"You know, the fall didn’t kill me, you know, sea creatures didn’t eat me, I felt like I was meant to get out of there," he said.

And he did; he was eventually spotted by a passing tanker, which notified the US Coast Guard rescuers. The Coast Guard units arrived on scene and, according to one rescuer, likely found Mr Grimes just in time.

Richard Hoefle, a US Coast Guard Aviation Survival Technician, told 4WWL News that Mr Grimes was "at his limit" when they found him.

"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’re in," Mr Hoefle said, describing typical reactions of individuals who are rescued. "Mr Grimes had nothing left. He had no energy. He had nothing left to give. My best guess is that he had between a minute and 30 seconds left before we lost him completely."

Mr Grimes said he recalled being secured by Mr Hoefle and remembers "just thinking ‘thank you, you are like a guardian angel.’"

The Coast Guard transported Mr Grimes to a hospital in New Orleans. He was treated for hypothermia and dehydration, and has since been released.

Mr Grimes told Good Morning America that the experience "opened my eyes" and taught him to be mindful of that which he takes for granted. It also left him lacking a proper cruise experience.

"I definitely would be open to go on another cruise," he said, "because I really didn’t get to go on this one."

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Rescued cruise passenger speaks out about falling overboard

James michael grimes spoke in exclusive interview with abc news about his experience going missing for 20 hours after falling overboard on a carnival cruise ship., december 3, 2022, what’s next for russia, what comes next after texas school shooting, what's next for abortion rights in america, the new battle for voting rights, how we can build a clean and renewable future, the fight for kyiv, examining extremism in the military, gun violence: an american epidemic, border crisis: what’s happening at the us-mexico border, remembering george floyd: a year of protest, the source of covid-19: what we know, how did the gamestop stock spike on wall street happen, why are people hesitant to trust a covid-19 vaccine, how climate change and forest management make wildfires harder to contain, disparity in police response: black lives matter protests and capitol riot, 2020 in review: a year unlike any other, examined: how putin keeps power, why don’t the electoral college and popular vote always match up, us crosses 250,000 coronavirus deaths, 2nd impeachment trial: what this could mean for trump, presidential transition of power: examined, how donald trump spent his last days as president, how joe biden's inauguration will be different from previous years, belarus’ ongoing protests: examined, trump challenges the vote and takes legal action, 2020’s dnc and rnc are different than any before, what is happening with the usps, voting in 2020 during covid-19, disinformation in 2020, abc news specials on, impact x nightline: on the brink, impact x nightline: unboxing shein, the lady bird diaries, impact x nightline: it's britney, impact x nightline: natalee holloway -- a killer confesses, impact x nightline: who shot tupac, impact x nightline, power trip: those who seek power and those who chase them, the murders before the marathon, the ivana trump story: the first wife, mormon no more, leave no trace: a hidden history of the boy scouts, keeper of the ashes: the oklahoma girl scout murders, the orphans of covid: america's hidden toll, superstar: patrick swayze, the kardashians -- an abc news special, 24 months that changed the world, have you seen this man.

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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 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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Passenger Who Fell Off Cruise Ship Was 'Dead Set' on Surviving 20-Hour Ordeal: 'My Worst Fear Is Drowning'

James Grimes of Alabama said he ate what he could find, held onto his faith and just kept swimming after he fell off a Carnival cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico last week

Abigail Adams is a Human Interest Writer and Reporter for PEOPLE. She has been working in journalism for seven years.

The passenger who fell off a cruise ship last week said he spent 20 hours in the water before he was rescued by the Coast Guard.

James Grimes, 28, was pulled from the Gulf of Mexico last Thursday after falling off the Carnival ship Valor on the night before Thanksgiving.

In an interview with ABC News, the Alabama man said he "was dead set on making it out" of the ordeal alive.

"My worst fear is drowning," he told ABC News, "and that was something I did not want to have to face."

Grimes was on a cruise to Cozumel, Mexico, with 18 members of his family when he fell off the Valor last week, ABC News reported.

He admitted to having a few drinks prior to falling off the ship, but did not recall how many. Grimes was last seen at a restaurant where he told his sister he was going to the bathroom.

He said he does not remember excusing himself or his plunge into the Gulf of Mexico — only regaining consciousness in the water "with no boat in sight," he said.

" The Lord was with me when I was out there," he told ABC News, "because something was holding me up the whole time when I was passed out."

The next morning, Grimes' sister reported him missing after she learned he had not returned to his cabin.

While treading water for hours, Grimes fought rip currents and animals, including jellyfish and an unknown creature that bumped his leg but did not bite him, he said.

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.

Grimes told ABC News he was losing energy when a "stick came floating by."

"It looked like bamboo," he said, "so I started eating on it."

As nightfall came back around, Grimes said he became increasingly concerned but told himself to just keep swimming.

"I felt like I was given a chance right then ... you're alive for a reason ... that [fall] could've killed me," he said, "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."

After hours in the water, Grimes eventually spotted a tanker ship. He said he used his last bit of energy to swim to the vessel, which later contacted the Coast Guard for help.

Richard Hoefle, a Coast Guard Aviation Survival Technician for the New Orleans division, told local news stations that Grime "had about 30 seconds to a minute left" before he would have died in the water.

Grimes told ABC News he'd stripped off his clothes but waved his socks at rescuers when he saw them approaching.

Upon handing Grimes a rescue sling, Hoefle told CBS affiliate WWL-TV that the he "just collapsed into it."

Grimes was very "confused" and "disoriented" when rescuers reached him, he added.

Maintaining a positive mindset throughout the harrowing ordeal helped Grimes survive, he believes.

"I always thought there's a greater purpose for my life," he told ABC News. "Now, I know for sure I'm meant to do something on this Earth."

A GoFundMe has been started by Grimes' sister Sherry Boleen to help cover his medical bills .

Boleen says her brother "is currently without health insurance," and that any donations "will help" with the expenses.

"It's honestly and truly a complete miracle that he survived," Boleen wrote on GoFundMe.

She also thanked the Coast Guard, writing, "Without their help my brother would be lost."

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Dramatic video shows Coast Guard rescuing man who went overboard on Carnival cruise

By Kerry Breen

Updated on: November 25, 2022 / 9:07 PM EST / CBS News

A passenger who fell off a cruise ship late Wednesday night was rescued on Thursday evening. 

The 28-year-old man was reported missing by the crew of the Carnival Valor at around 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 24, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Coast Guard . Rescue crews were quickly amassed. The crew of a bulk carrier, identified as Crinis, spotted the man in the water and alerted the Coast Guard to his position. He was rescued around 8:25 p.m., about 20 miles south of Southwest Pass, Louisiana. 

The man, who has not been identified, was "responsive but exhibiting hypothermic-like symptoms" when he was found by a Coast Guard aircrew and received emergency medical services at the New Orleans Lakefront Airport, Coast Guard petty officer Ryan Graves told CBS News. He is in stable condition.

The Coast Guard shared video footage of the rescue on Twitter , showing the moment the man was found and brought aboard an agency helicopter. 

Footage from the rescue of the cruise ship passenger last night. Can also be downloaded here: https://t.co/xk0pBnVr1E pic.twitter.com/GK1IXCKlgx — USCG Heartland (@USCGHeartland) November 25, 2022

Matt Lupoli, a spokesperson for Carnival, told CBS News that the man was at a bar with his sister on Wednesday night, and he disappeared after leaving to use the restroom. His sister, whose identity has also not been made public, alerted crew to his absence when he did not return to his stateroom overnight. 

"We are beyond grateful that this case ended with a positive outcome," said Lt. Seth Gross, a Sector New Orleans search and rescue mission coordinator. "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. If not for the alert crew aboard the motor vessel Crinis, this case could have had a much more difficult ending."

Carnival's Care Team is "providing support to the family members of the missing guest who were sailing with him and remain on board," Lupoli said. The ship is bound for Cozumel, Mexico. 

"We greatly appreciate the efforts of all, most especially the U.S. Coast Guard and the mariner who spotted the guest in the water," Lupoli told CBS News. 

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Kerry Breen is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.

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A family holiday turned into a nightmare as Shane Dixon, 50, fell overboard the P&O cruise ship Pacific Adventure off Sydney Heads last week.

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Body found in search for passenger overboard on Pacific Adventure cruise ship due to arrive in Sydney

A body has been found in a large search operation off the coast of Sydney after a man was reported missing off a cruise ship early Monday.

About 10:30am, officers from the Police Marine Area Command retrieved a body from the water. 

The alarm was raised on the P&O vessel Pacific Adventure about 4am when it was about 10 nautical miles, or 18 kilometres, off Sydney Heads.

The ship was due to dock at White Bay Terminal a few hours later but that was delayed as the search was underway.

NSW Police Marine Commander Joseph McNulty earlier said police were hopeful because one of three emergency life rings that had been deployed had not been retrieved, fuelling hope the man may have latched onto it. 

Swells of 4 to 5 metres hindered efforts of rescue teams, which searched a 60-square-nautical-mile area and used infrared technology to search for the man's heat signature. 

A second cruise ship which was in the area has also joined the search. 

Both ships tried to lower life boats in to the water but had to abort due to the rough conditions. 

Family being cared for onboard

At least three police vessels and a number of tug boats were deployed in the search, alongside the Toll rescue helicopter. 

In a statement, P&O said there were more than 2,600 guests still on board the ship, which has now been cleared to return to port in Sydney. 

"Pacific Adventure's next voyage due to depart White Bay this afternoon has been delayed, with the ship expected to leave later tonight on a four-night voyage to Queensland," it said. 

"We thank guests for their care, understanding and patience on what's been a distressing day for guests and crew.

"Our thoughts are with the family of the guest at this difficult time."

Police have launched an investigation into the death and will prepare a report for the coroner. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Body is found after cruise ship passenger fell overboard

• Body found in search for cruise ship passenger
• Man fell overboard off coast of Sydney 

A body has been found after a P&O cruise ship passenger fell overboard off the coast of Sydney .

NSW Police received reports a person had gone overboard from the Pacific Adventure just 10 nautical miles off Sydney Heads just after 4am. 

A desperate search was immediately launched before the body of a man was discovered at 10.30am.

A man on the Pacific Adventure told 2GB radio that he and 2,600 other passengers woke to a 'man overboard call' early in the morning. 

'We got woken up with the man overboard call and from there it's been all on for a couple of hours now,' he said. 

A driver who was supposed to pick up passengers from the Pacific Adventure explained that he was told not to rush because the 'the ship's stopped outside the head and somebody's gone overboard.' 

P&O Cruises earlier staff were providing the passenger's family with support. 

The Pacific Adventure is returning from a three-day cruise to Queensland's Morton Island which is understood to have had an Elvis theme. 

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The first images have emerged of a cruise ship pulling into Sydney hours after a search and rescue effort which ended in tragedy.

A body was pulled from the waters off eastern Sydney about 10.30am after a passenger reportedly fell overboard from the P & O Pacific Adventure at 4am on Monday.

Passengers due to leave from White Bay Cruise Terminal were left stranded for some 7½ hours.

In a statement, police said a report will be prepared for the coroner after a body was found in the waters of La Perouse by officers attached to Police Marine Area Command.

Police will launch an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.

The ship’s delayed arrival brings an end to the tragic day after it was set to dock in Sydney Harbour at 6am, only for authorities to launch the search for the missing passenger.

In a statement, P & O Cruises Australia said Pacific Adventure’s voyage to White Bay in the afternoon had been delayed, with the ship expected to leave later tonight on a four-night voyage to Queensland.

“We thank guests for their care, understanding and patience on what’s been a distressing day for guests and crew,” a spokeswoman said

“Our thoughts are with the family of the guest at this difficult time.

Customers were left stranded and confused at White Bay Cruise Terminal on Monday.

At noon, cruisers were given the option to retrieve checked baggage and had shuttle buses ready to ferry them back to Darling Harbour.

In a text to travellers, P & O Cruises Australia said Pacific Adventure was slated for a 2.30pm docking at White Bay.

The company stated the check-in for the cruise had been delayed by some 7½ hours as a result of the search and rescue operation.

“All guests will need to be on-board by 10.30pm,” the text states.

“Dinner and the on-board entertainment program will be extended and we do not expect the later departure to impact the itinerary.”

Earlier, NSW Police said they were leading the search following a reports a person was in the water.

“Just after 4am today emergency services received reports a person had gone overboard off a ship 10 nautical miles off Sydney Heads,” a NSW Police spokesman said.

“NSW Police Marine Area Command have deployed a number of resources to search for the person and are leading the co-ordination of the water search.”

A Toll Ambulance Rescue Helicopter has also been combing a large body of water off Sydney Heads.

A statement from P & O Cruises Australian said more than 2600 guests were on-board, and the ship has been onsite searching “with other nearby vessels deployed to the area by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre”.

“The family of this guest is being cared for by our on-board team while every effort is being made to find them,” it read.

“Pacific Adventure’s arrival into White Bay Terminal this morning has been delayed while the search continues.”

One passenger told radio station 2GB they had been woken up with a “man overboard call”.

Another listener, Brad, who was on his way to the terminal to pick up passengers, told breakfast host Ben Fordham that passengers had told him not to rush, as the ship was “stopped outside the head and somebody’s gone overboard”.

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The Pacific Adventure was previously billed as Golden Princess, before facing controversy for docking and disembarking in Melbourne while carrying Covid-compromised passengers in April 2020.

In May 2023 the Pacific Adventure made headlines off the coast of Sydney when a cabin fire caused by a guest smoking in bed led to a passenger evacuation off the coast of Sydney.

P & O Cruises is a British cruise line.

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Friends and loved ones came together to honour the brothers lives in a touching beachside tribute.

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• BRISBANE, QLD
• ADELAIDE, SA
• CANBERRA, ACT

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Body found after person goes overboard on cruise ship off sydney.

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