A Christmas cruise for one family ended in tragedy this week when a 51-year-old passenger went overboard while sailing with Norwegian Cruise Line.
While the ship was sailing from Jamaica to the Bahamas on a 7-night itinerary, the man plummeted to the sea. The victim - who went overboard around 3:00pm on December 26, 2024 - was traveling with a large group onboard Norwegian Epic, according to the cruise line.
Shortly after the man was reported overboard, the Norwegian Epic launched a search operation for the victim. In a statement from Norwegian Cruise Line, the cruise line explained how authorities were immediately notified of the incident.
“A search and rescue operation under the guidance and oversight of the Bahamas Rescue Coordination Center went underway,” said Norwegian Cruise Line’s spokesperson.
A flare was tossed into the ocean to mark the ship’s location at the first report of the overboard incident. Crew members spring into action to hopefully find the man in the ocean water. With assistance from a nearby ship, Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam, crew members searched the Caribbean waters for hours.
(Photos of Norwegian Epic and Holland America Line's Zuiderdam during the search efforts, as shared on Reddit)
Zuiderdam is also sailing on a 7-night Caribbean itinerary after departing from Port Everglades, Florida on December 20, 2024. The ship was at sea on December 26, 2024, when the overboard incident occurred.
“They put a flare. They’re circulating. They did an entire circle, looking for the guy who [went] overboard. He jumped [or] fell and bounced off one of these [lifeboats] and fell into the water. Everyone is searching for him,” speculated one passenger in a video on X, posted by George Sakellaris.
With the incident taking place in the late afternoon, crew members only had a few hours of daylight until sunset. Unfortunately, the search efforts were not successful in locating the victim. “After an extensive search that was unfortunately unsuccessful, the ship was released by the authorities to continue its voyage,” stated Norwegian Cruise Line.
The cruise line also stated that family members onboard the Norwegian Epic are being supported through the tragic event. As one of the larger vessels in the cruise line’s fleet, Norwegian Epic can hold around 4,100 passengers at maximum capacity and measures 155,000 gross tons.
A spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line shared, “The guest was traveling with a large group and his family on board is being attended to and supported during this very challenging situation. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones during this difficult time.”
Norwegian Epic departed from Port Canaveral, Florida on December 21, 2024, with ports of call throughout the Western Caribbean. The sailing featured port stops in Cozumel (Mexico), George Town (Grand Cayman), Ocho Rios (Jamaica) and Norwegian’s private destination of Great Stirrup Cay before a scheduled return to Port Canaveral on December 28, 2024.
Many guests onboard Norwegian Epic at the time of the incident have shared their experiences online
One person reportedly onboard Norwegian Epic posted about the incident to Reddit to the r/NCL subreddit. “Passenger on a starboard stateroom balcony reported a passenger overboard at about 3pm. Flare and buoy in the water. Ship stopped, and is now turning around,” shared the poster.
“Confirmed from the bridge, search and rescue underway for a passenger who fell overboard,” said the passenger in an update.
One passenger onboard was supposedly in the Spice H20 pool area when the announcement was made. “We are on the Epic now, and were in Spice H2O (aft) when the announcement for "Oscar Starbard Side" was announced and we started turning around. It was surreal.”
In addition, the same passenger said multiple people were “yelling” that they could see the victim in the water nearby. Another guest in Spice H20 reportedly threw a life ring from the aft area into the ocean.
“It happened so fast. An announcement was made to look for a person overboard in a blue shirt. It's been a VERY sad and surreal experience for all passengers today. Prayers to the family,” concluded the commenter.
One cruiser was in his cabin when the incident took place and rushed to their balcony to help locate the overboard victim. The person commented, “On this cruise right now on floor 10, about 45mins - 1hr ago. I was in the shower when the boat started turning pretty sharply, so I didn’t hear the initial announcement.”
Read more: 12 reasons why I like this poorly-rated Norwegian Cruise Line ship. Are the critics wrong?
(Photo shared on Reddit)
“Our family members then texted us letting us know a man was overboard and from there, we went to the balcony. A minute or two later people started yelling and we watched him [in the water]. I’ll never forget it,” the cruiser continued.
The guest also shared, “Everyone was yelling. Can’t believe he hasn’t been recovered. God rest his soul.”
Following the tragic event, guests onboard are reporting a very heavy environment for everyone on Norwegian Epic. “There’s a very somber feeling in the air right now. Lots of passengers on the pool deck looking with binoculars,” commented one guest reportedly onboard.
Overboard incidents while cruising are rare, but do happen occasionally
According to data from the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA), guests who go overboard are, unfortunately, not likely to be rescued.
Between 2009 and 2019, CLIA reported that 212 identified overboard incidents occurred, including both crew members and passengers. Of these incidents, only 28.2% (or 48) victims were rescued successfully. This means that nearly 72% of overboard passengers are lost at sea and not recovered. Most overboard incidents involve guests with only 33% of reported events involving crew members, according to CLIA.
In addition, most overboard events are found to be an intentional or reckless act. All of the overboard incidents are thoroughly investigated to determine the cause or motive, especially if passenger safety is at risk.
CLIA stated in the report, “In every case where the cause of the man overboard (MOB) was established following a careful investigation, it was found to be the result of an intentional or reckless act. There were some instances, however, which were impossible to determine a motive.”
During the 10-year period, CLIA reports an overall decline in overboard incidents. Considering passenger capacity for cruising has continuously increased over the years, the overboard incident rate has been decreasing.
In fact, the rate of overboard passengers has decreased by nearly 64% between 2009 and 2019. For data in 2019, CLIA reports an incidence rate of 0.00004 overboard incidents per active lower berth.
Allie Hubers
Allie Hubers has been cruising since she was a tiny toddler. What started as a yearly vacation with family quickly turned into a passion for travel, cruising and adventure. Allie's been on over 45 cruises all over the world. She even studied abroad on Semester at Sea, sailing the world on a ship while taking courses for college and visiting 4 continents.
