falling off the ship

[Cru1s1ng2009]

I'm asked this all of the time (my co-workers know I love to cruise). I tell them that you have to work hard and exert real energy and movement to fall (jump) overboard. More often than not it involves being over served and being involved in reckless behavior. It is definitely no accident.

 

Try, over-stupid

[Elaine5715]

Maybe a fall from crossing the ramp off a tender or even falling off a tender in motion but otherwise, no..

[Desertbelle]

Technically, people DO fall off of ships....I mean they don't fly off of ships, or levitate off of ships, and certainly only a few people choose to jump off of ships. I suppose someone could be thrown off the ship, and then fall to their death.

 

The term "fall" covers exactly what happens when someone exits a ship via going over the railing and into the water. It's how the fall happens that makes us cruise lovers cringe. No one simply falls...you can't be sitting in a chair on your balcony and fall off a ship, you can't be walking along side the railing and fall off the ship, and you can't stand looking at the sunset with your feet on the deck and fall off the ship, a gush of wind from opening your cabin door while leaning on your balcony won't make you fall off the ship.....a person has to expand a good deal of energy and poor judgement to fall off a ship....generally with a heavy dose of alcohol added to the mix.

[Kartgv]

Agree no one 'falls' without doing something really stupid, but the 'stupid' range can be devastating. On one of our first cruises, we climbed up some stairs to an outside deck to the sight of 2 small children (maybe 5 & 7 years old?) sitting up on top of the deck rail holding on as best they could, while their parents stood back to take their picture. We were stunned speechless...and as soon as the parents saw us, they quickly scooped the kids up and made a rapid exit. We did report it to a staff member but couldn't identify the family and never saw them again on the cruise.

Edited March 12, 2015 by Kartgv

[navybankerteacher]

It seems pretty obvious that the overwhelming majority of people who wind up in the water do so either because they were very drunk or at least momentarily suicidal. Both suggest night time occurrence, which makes recovery more problematic. The drunks are likely to have been unaccompanied when they "fell", so immediate detection and rescue efforts are unlikely. The suicides, unless they are really incompetent, will "fall" at a time and place where immediate detection is also unlikely. These probabilities, combined with what I have heard/read about people "falling" off cruise ships, leave me with the belief that only a very small minority - perhaps 10% or less - would survive.

[lifes-a-beach]

I young man that jumped off a cruise ship a few years ago. He was my next door neighbor and was involved in a hate crime against him he had just testified in congress for stricter sentences for hate crime victims. I believe that 99% of "falls" are intentional.

 

if that was the carnival ship out of galveston my family was on that cruise. very sad indeed. my condolences.

[Doctor_Who]

The cruise we were on this past summer some guy jumped. It was just starting to get dark, people saw him jump and threw life preservers. He was rescued pretty quickly but only because the quick actions of others marked where he was.

[SadieN]

A while ago there was a picture of a gal taking a picture while standing on the roof of a lifeboat.

[navybankerteacher]

A while ago there was a picture of a gal taking a picture while standing on the roof of a lifeboat.

 

Incredible stupidity is one of the causes for people to "fall" off a ship - and extreme drunkenness falls into this category; the other is death wish.

[Floridiana]

A while ago there was a picture of a gal taking a picture while standing on the roof of a lifeboat.

 

Somebody was taking her picture while she was standing on the roof and the lifeboat was on the ship, not in the water?

[P&O SUE]

Same here. Also went on a cruise days after the Concordia tragedy and was asked my several people "aren't you afraid of your ship sinking?"

 

Only this week a lady at work said to me "hasn't the Concordia put you off cruising" :rolleyes:

Edited March 12, 2015 by P&O SUE

[SadieN]

Somebody was taking her picture while she was standing on the roof and the lifeboat was on the ship, not in the water?

 

 

Yes. Lifeboat in stored position on side of ship. Her back/side was to the camera. Looked like she was taking a picture and wanted a clear view.

 

Wish it could find the picture on CC. Looked for a while, can't find it. Happened midJune2014

Edited March 12, 2015 by SadieN

[Aquahound]

This is too funny..You don't "fall" off a ship...you jump! If you're so drunk you're climbing on railings, I don't consider that a "fall". It's intentional, in that you don't care enough about your safety to stay sober enough to not do stupid things.

 

Well, you're wrong. Regardless of the activity or level of stupidity involved, if it wasn't an intentional jump, it was a fall.

[SadieN]

http://cruisefever.net/0615-photo-carnival-cruise-passenger-climbs-onto-lifeboat-during-sea-day/

 

 

Found it!

Bonus--- also has a link to a picture of someone sitting on a railing.

 

(I used 'stupid' in the search field.)

[chengkp75]

Well, you're wrong. Regardless of the activity or level of stupidity involved, if it wasn't an intentional jump, it was a fall.

 

Bingo

 

1. Stupidity fall

2. Drunken fall (sub-category? of above)

3. Jump

4. Push

 

Only four categories of overboards.

[Cru1s1ng2009]

http://cruisefever.net/0615-photo-carnival-cruise-passenger-climbs-onto-lifeboat-during-sea-day/

 

 

Found it!

Bonus--- also has a link to a picture of someone sitting on a railing.

 

(I used 'stupid' in the search field.)

 

OMG, what an idiot!

[sail7seas]

Depending upon from how high a deck one goes overboard, hitting the water is like hitting concrete. Surviving the fall is the start of hoping to be rescued. As others have said, one doesn't simply 'fall off a ship'.

 

[Beachdude]

We had a man overboard (call it what you want makes you happy) from our ship around 7:30 PM on the last day of a 7 day Caribbean Cruise. We were in the MDR when an emergency code was announced. The waiting staff immediately started grabbing plates as the ship suddenly started to slow and turn. Nobody knew what the code was, but we guessed it was man overboard from the way the ship was acting.

 

The person who fell was a drunk father showing off in front of his wife, young kids and in-laws. He survived the fall with only bruises and was escorted off the ship by the Ft. Lauderdale police the next morning after we docked. This information came from a family member who was a member of this forum.

 

What was interesting is that even though the crew reacted immediately, the ship still ended up a couple miles away before it was turned around. We were told that had it happen at night, the odds of finding him would have been cut in half even with the quick reaction. The folks on deck who watch the whole thing said that even when they knew kind of where he fell, he was very difficult to see in the prop wash. I don’t know, but the experience was sobering to how low the odds are of survival even under good circumstances.

 

Burt

Edited March 12, 2015 by Beachdude

[Hlitner]

I totally agree. Baring doing something stoopid and/or drunk, it's impossible to "fall off", as you stated.

 

Agree! If you do some research you are going to find that nearly all the folks that "fell off" a ship were either totally drunk or trying to commit suicide. Accidental falls of sober passengers are nearly impossible.

 

Hank

[donaldsc]

As far as I am concerned, "falling" of a ship and dying is just an example of Darwin doing a good job. Nobody ever "falls" off a ship. It occurs either as a suicide or if you are young and/or drunk and/or stupid.

 

DON

[broberts]

As far as I am concerned, "falling" of a ship and dying is just an example of Darwin doing a good job. Nobody ever "falls" off a ship. It occurs either as a suicide or if you are young and/or drunk and/or stupid.

 

DON

 

I guess you haven't read Carl Hiaasen's Skinny Dip.

[Laughing Angel]

Originally Posted by Laughing Angel

I'm asked this all of the time (my co-workers know I love to cruise). I tell them that you have to work hard and exert real energy and movement to fall (jump) overboard. More often than not it involves being over served and being involved in reckless behavior. It is definitely no accident

 

 

Try, over-stupid

 

Bwahahahahaha! :D I stand corrected...

[sfaaa]

It's a great way to disappear and start a new life if you want to run away from the law, a jealous wife, all your creditors or simply trying to rip off your life insurance company.

[Cruzaholic41]

It's a great way to disappear and start a new life if you want to run away from the law, a jealous wife, all your creditors or simply trying to rip off your life insurance company.

 

Really. Falling off a ship in the middle of the ocean is a great way to start a new life, huh? :rolleyes:

[Cru1s1ng2009]

As far as I am concerned, "falling" of a ship and dying is just an example of Darwin doing a good job. Nobody ever "falls" off a ship. It occurs either as a suicide or if you are young and/or drunk and/or stupid.

 

DON

 

Natural Selection, I dig it.

 

Im so glad my thread is still alive, I have really enjoyed it. No one at work believes me that it is impossible unless you are trying to do it. I am going to take pictures of the rails on the pool deck as proof. I've never been in a balcony room so I have no idea. Sh1t, I haven't even been in a room with a window...:rolleyes: