Two men lost at sea in plastic kayak rescued by cruise ship Carnival Jubilee

A Caribbean cruise has come to the rescue of two men at sea in a plastic kayak.

The Carnival Jubilee spotted the tiny pleasure craft off the coast of the Isla Mujeres near Mexico, while en route to the Caribbean on Monday. They were well over 15km from the shore of the Yucatan Peninsula.

They had allegedly taken to the kayak after their ship sank at sea.

It was not clear how long they had been at sea, but the cruise ship had come across the makeshift lifeboat by chance because apparently, no emergency distress signal was received.

“They were welcomed onto the ship safely and were evaluated by the ship’s medical staff and given first aid and food,” the cruise line said.

The ship, which had departed port Galveston in Texas, said it had been in contact with Mexican navy officials to whom the rescued kayakers were transferred.

The Jubilee continued on its route to Mahogany Bay, Roatan, for Tuesday.

The two men were spotted from the bridge of cruise ship Carnival Jubilee on Monday, stranded at sea. Photo / Carnival

The rescue comes after sister ship Carnival Vista rescued six people from a capsized cargo vessel near the Dominican Republic.

In October, New Zealand-based ship Pacific Explorer plucked Australian ocean rower Tom Mahuta Robinson from the waters south of Vanuatu.

Robinson had spent the night at sea after his solo mission to cross the Pacific came to an end, capsized by a wave.

However, in that case the small boat had been able to alert Maritime Rescue in New Zealand and New Caledonia using an emergency locator beacon.

Carnival said the two kayakers found in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday had been lucky to be spotted from the bridge of the Jubilee by chance.

The two men were stuck at sea in a plastic kayak until their rescue by a passing cruise ship. Photo / Carnival