Man Overboard on Carnival Valor found alive

[ledges1]

I could not tread water drunk for 20 hours without some type of flotation device. Probably could not tread water for 4 hours sober in the water. At 67 you cannot do the same things a 28 year old can do. This story will be interesting.

[keels81]

2 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

He obviously wasn't picked up where he went over. How many miles would the Mississippi have carried him ? At New Orleans, the river flows about 3 miles per hour.

 

 

 

 

At Belle Chase this week it was more like 1.4 miles per hour.

[chengkp75]

6 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

He obviously wasn't picked up where he went over. How many miles would the Mississippi have carried him ? At New Orleans, the river flows about 3 miles per hour.

 

3 minutes ago, keels81 said:

 

At Belle Chase this week it was more like 1.4 miles per hour.

With the record low levels in the river, as noted, the current will be low.  He was found south of SW pass.  The current from SW pass, is to the southwest.  I haven't checked the tide tables, but tide may have moved him north (closer to the shore).  Once the ship clears the sea buoy at SW pass, they change course to south, to head for Cozumel.

[CarolSW]

IMHO this is bordering on truly unbelievable.

 

CNN

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/man-rescued-carnival-cruise-gulf-of-mexico/index.html

Passenger Missing from going to the bathroom while at the bar 11:00 pm day before Thanksgiving

Reported missing to ship authorities noon Thanksgiving day

2:00 pm final call for the missing man in the ship 

Ship turned around to retrace route

2:30 pm Coast Guard notified and informed ships within 200 miles 

8:25 pm man spotted in water by a bulk carrier

Coast Guard helipcopter rescued the man at some point after that

 

So, theoretically he could have been in the water as long as 22 hours?

So much of this story is really difficult to believe. 
But I cannot imagine what anyone would gain from making this up.

 

 

 

[MeganGC1983]

16 minutes ago, CarolSW said:

IMHO this is bordering on truly unbelievable.

 

CNN

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/man-rescued-carnival-cruise-gulf-of-mexico/index.html

Passenger Missing from going to the bathroom while at the bar 11:00 pm day before Thanksgiving

Reported missing to ship authorities noon Thanksgiving day

2:00 pm final call for the missing man in the ship 

Ship turned around to retrace route

2:30 pm Coast Guard notified and informed ships within 200 miles 

8:25 pm man spotted in water by a bulk carrier

Coast Guard helipcopter rescued the man at some point after that

 

So, theoretically he could have been in the water as long as 22 hours?

So much of this story is really difficult to believe. 
But I cannot imagine what anyone would gain from making this up.

 

 

 

I’ve gotten lost going to the bathroom before, but never like this. 

[BlerkOne]

18 minutes ago, MeganGC1983 said:

I’ve gotten lost going to the bathroom before, but never like this. 

Maybe he was checking the depth of the water?

[Dixe Lee]

I have been trying to figure out how it was determined that he went overboard. Was it because he was missing and couldn’t be found on the ship so it was assumed he must’ve gone overboard? And how did the authorities know where he went overboard so they would know where to search? I must be missing something.

[chengkp75]

6 minutes ago, Dixe Lee said:

Was it because he was missing and couldn’t be found on the ship so it was assumed he must’ve gone overboard?

Yes.

 

6 minutes ago, Dixe Lee said:

And how did the authorities know where he went overboard so they would know where to search?

They knew the last time he was seen, so traced the ship's course back to that point, and set the search area from that, which was mentioned as being over 200 square miles.  The man being seen as quickly as he was, was pure chance, but as soon as the sighting was reported, that narrowed the search area greatly.

[Dixe Lee]

1 minute ago, chengkp75 said:

Yes.

 

They knew the last time he was seen, so traced the ship's course back to that point, and set the search area from that, which was mentioned as being over 200 square miles.  The man being seen as quickly as he was, was pure chance, but as soon as the sighting was reported, that narrowed the search area greatly.

Thanks that helps me a lot. Really makes it more clear just how miraculous it was finding him!

[sndral]

Coast Guard has released video of the helicopter rescue https://www.businessinsider.com/video-footage-cruise-ship-passenger-rescued-after-falling-overboard-2022-11

[keels81]

I know Alaska has a boarded pilot captain. And given how the Mississippi River works, I *assume* cruise ships have a boarded pilot captain to get them down the river.

 

So maybe something closer to water level was open and a guy just wandering was able to get out and get to the water without suffering a major injury? Because there's just no way he could be able to be treading water and waving his arms like that.

 

I do triathlons and marathon open-water swims and I can't even imagine doing that after "jumping" off a ship.

[MistyRo76]

1 hour ago, sndral said:

Coast Guard has released video of the helicopter rescue https://www.businessinsider.com/video-footage-cruise-ship-passenger-rescued-after-falling-overboard-2022-11

That video is just crazy! Seeing him in the water and going under and bobbing back up like that?? I was exhausted watching it for just a minute! What a miracle indeed! 

[CruizinSusan70]

Would love to be a fly on the wall when he asks his sister why she waited 13 hours after seeing him leave the bar to report him missing.  Still can't see him surviving up to 22 hours in the water possibly  initially drunk and with no floatation device.

[terryinal]

Don't no why cameras didn't pick him up. But I travel with my kids and 40's and if they didn't show up to cabin I would just figure they got L---- and having a good time

 

[MsOne]

Pretty sure this guy is  a spy. The whole "falling in the ocean" thing was the cover up for where did you disappear to for 20+hours.

[e150club]

Some people can float for hours. I can't float at all and sink like a rock. I'd love to hear his story.

 

[MeganGC1983]

9 hours ago, ledges1 said:

I could not tread water drunk for 20 hours without some type of flotation device. Probably could not tread water for 4 hours sober in the water. At 67 you cannot do the same things a 28 year old can do. This story will be interesting.

This was exactly what I said. I don’t care how old you are. 15 drinks in… treading for even conservatively 15 hours. Maybe not even 15 drinks in, but enough to go over instead of the bathroom. 

[MeganGC1983]

4 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

That video is just crazy! Seeing him in the water and going under and bobbing back up like that?? I was exhausted watching it for just a minute! What a miracle indeed! 

Yes I’ve done ultras and marathons and I could not imagine. 🤯🤯

[WhaleTailFlCruiser]

How do you fall off of a ship and survive that without injury somehow and then tread water in an area where sharks and gators are and some how survive is boarding on insanity. 

[DirtyDawg]

9 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Would love to be a fly on the wall when he asks his sister why she waited 13 hours after seeing him leave the bar to report him missing.  Still can't see him surviving up to 22 hours in the water possibly  initially drunk and with no floatation device.

She probably thought he hooked up with someone, then went back to their cabin and 'passed out' until late morning when see revived and noticed he still wasn't back. He's a 28 year old guy. They don't tell their sister (or their parents) where they are sleeping each night (or much of anything else either). 😉

[DirtyDawg]

17 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

My turn. Why didn't the MOB cameras pick up the man falling? The state is Louisiana and would be Louisiana laws. Why wasn't the man forthcoming with how he ended up in the water? Do you mean there are no consequences for someone who ends up in the water? He certainly should be kept for observation and a mental evaluation of some sort.

If I were him, the first thing i'd do when I got released from hospital is not volunteering  for a mental evaluation, it would be to go and buy a Powerball ticket. This guy is one lucky dude. 

[TexasRon]

It does seem to be a miracle that he survived.  

 

I was taught to "tread water" both in swimming lessons and in the Marine Corps; sometimes doing it for extended periods of time but nowhere near the hours (duh...) of this incident.

 

There is another technique we were taught at some point known as "drownproofing" at the time (could have a different name or be outdated by now...this was all years ago) which used much less energy than treading water and made longer periods of staying afloat possible without exhaustion.  Perhaps he knew, or figured it our during the ordeal, how to do that.

 

Still incredible...no mater how he did it.  That is a long time to be in the water...

 

We will see how much more comes out about this story. 

[toad455]

There's definitely something missing from the story. It's simply unfathomable that he was able to tread water for 22 hours. Who knows exactly when he went overboard. Might have been early morning instead of 11pm.

[Roscoe13]

Well, we know he had to have taken a leak in the water!  How long until the anti-Carnival sentiment shows up to tout the poor treatment of the environment?

[OceanZena]

4 hours ago, DirtyDawg said:

If I were him, the first thing i'd do when I got released from hospital is not volunteering  for a mental evaluation, it would be to go and buy a Powerball ticket. This guy is one lucky dude. 

 

He'll need the winnings to pay for his search and rescue. Doesn't it cost something crazy like $100k+ and would his travel insurance cover it if he has any?