What happens when a cruise passenger falls overboard? Photo / Sheila Jellison on Unsplash
It’s been reported that on average, 19 cruise ship passengers fall overboard every year. When you consider 31.5 million people cruised in 2023, it’s a very rare occurrence. Still, it does raise the question – how does anyone fall off a cruise ship? By Anna Sarjeant
In 2018 a British woman fell from the Norwegian Star, a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, sailing in Croatia and survived. She spent 10 hours in the sea overnight, floating to preserve energy and singing to resist sleep. No one expected her to be plucked out of the water alive the next day, but she was.
How did it happen? And how, unlike 72 per cent of all other passengers that fall overboard, did she live to tell the tale?
For the woman in Croatia, an explanation for her slip has never been given. However, rest assured that falling off a cruise ship is far from easy. According to Business Insider, in 2020, 13.7m passengers boarded cruise ships in the US alone, and compared to the number of victims, the chance of going overboard is less than 0.000001 per cent.
Railings on cruise ships are legally required to be 54 inches (106cm) high, there are uniform balcony heights and structural barriers. With increased security and surveillance, overboard accidents are also on the decline.
In general, there are four main contributors to falling off a cruise ship and they mostly relate to a moment of recklessness. These include consumption of alcohol and/or drugs, doing something careless, a genuine accident and suicide. It would be remiss to skim over the fact individuals do choose to go overboard as an intentional act. Sadly, this has also led to a handful of murder convictions when killings have been staged as accidents or suicides.
One of the greatest perceived threats is intoxication, often leading to impaired decision-making. Climbing on to the railings, over balconies, leaning over too far and attempting to recreate a famous movie scene – both while under the influence and not – are all believed to have been contributing factors to passengers losing their balance. Selfies have also been blamed for putting guests in perilous positions.
As of November 16, Business Insider reported “at least 10 people have gone overboard from major cruise line ships so far in 2023″. Two of those people survived. Aside from suicide, the reasons for passengers going over are mostly unknown.
Earlier this year, Ross Klein, a cruise industry researcher and retired professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland in the United States told the Washington Post “alcohol is involved in up to 60 per cent of overboard cases” and will also hinder your likelihood of survival when you hit the water, with Klein stating that “intoxication is a key reason why many victims can’t stay afloat until help can reach them”.
Sometimes we can’t blame alcohol at all. According to Cruise Critic, in the past, “one [passenger] fell off the ship when he lost balance standing on a table while the ship was [going] full speed ahead”. Accidents do happen, foolishly or otherwise.
Survival largely depends on several factors. For the woman who fell off the Norwegian Star, her fitness from practising yoga was credited to her endurance in the water. Then there’s the weather, water conditions, water temperature, whether the victim falls day or night, and therefore the level of visibility.
A lot of it can depend on how far the passenger falls; from what height and how injured they may or may not be after making an impact with the water. Is the victim conscious when they fall? Even then, the collision and panic can cause such a huge intake of air (i.e. our natural reaction is to gasp) that a lot of water is unintentionally inhaled, overwhelming the lungs. Other factors victims are up against include overexposure, dehydration, hypothermia, and albeit rare, predators in the water. If no one sees you fall in, the response time will be slower; the ship powering ahead unaware.
Earlier this year, Florida Today reported: “Of the 212 [passengers] listed as [having fallen] overboard between 2009 and 2019, only 48 people were rescued.”
Most shocking is that rescue doesn’t necessarily guarantee survival. Portsmouth University Professor Mike Tipton, a survival expert, told the UK’s Daily Telegraph “20 per cent of victims die as they are being rescued – a surprising incidence that experts attribute to victims suddenly relaxing”.
In November 2022, James Michael Grimes was cruising with Carnival Valor when he went overboard the night before Thanksgiving Day, later telling ABC’s Good Morning America “he didn’t remember falling, only waking up somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico with no boat in sight”.
Grimes spent most of the next 20 hours fighting for his life and treading water. He told People magazine he “kept thinking about how badly I wanted to see my 9-year-old daughter” while thwarting encounters with jellyfish and a suspected shark, and also chewing on bamboo. Grimes was eventually spotted and airlifted by helicopter.
Unfortunately, the recommendation for surviving going overboard is – as the old adage goes – not to panic. Easier said than done with your ship sailing away at 37km/h and you stranded alone in the abyss. Possibly in the dead of night.
Mike Tipton suggests saving as much energy as possible. “Don’t thrash about, as that uses heat and energy; try to stay still and float.” According to Cat Bigney, a survival expert speaking to Business Insider, “even a small buoyant device will help you”, so try to find anything you can use to stay above the water’s surface, such as floating debris. Bigney says “treading water periodically is much more doable than constantly” and suggests “a combination of floating, treading, and swimming”.
From then on until help arrives, it’s a sheer test of mettle. According to Tipton, physically, the body can endure more than you might imagine: “In waters of 15C, you may have six hours.” But it is as much a mental battle as it is a physical one.
As soon as the cruise ship is alerted of a man overboard, a rescue operation is initiated. The bridge will immediately inform the Coast Guard and stop the ship, turning around to find the missing passenger. As they typically weigh between 70,000-180,000 tonnes, turning a ship is not a quick procedure, so smaller boats may be deployed to get back to the accident area faster. The ship’s security camera footage will be reviewed to determine where and when the passenger went overboard and other ships in the vicinity will be notified. They are obligated by marine law to help. Depending on where you are in the world, local authorities may be put in charge of coordinating the search and rescue efforts. Your cruise ship will continue to search until the Coast Guard clears it to recommence sailing.
According to Florida Today, “Cruise lines are adding overboard detection sensors which use thermal cameras and micro radars to detect incidents and alert crew members.” However, man-overboard detection systems are not currently standard on all cruise ships.
One of the biggest problems for cruise ships and passengers alike is when guests go overboard unseen. On occasion, passengers aren’t reported missing until hours later, or even the next day. By this time, when you consider the vastness of the ocean, resolving the situation becomes much harder.
A word from Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA)
It is extremely rare for someone to go overboard. Although many characterise man-overboard situations as “falls”, the very nature of the safety elements in place makes accidental falls virtually impossible. Unfortunately, the vast majority of cases involve reckless behaviour or some form of intentional act. People don’t just inadvertently fall over the side of a ship.
A cruise holiday is one of the safest forms of travel, and the safety of passengers and crew is the top priority of cruise lines. Every aspect of cruising is heavily regulated and monitored under international maritime law, as well as local jurisdictions.
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