A cruise passenger fell off the pier into the ocean while in The Bahamas.
According to videos, an unidentified male guest fell into the ocean in Nassau, putting himself between the Norwegian Encore ship and the cruise pier.
Norwegian Encore wasn't supposed to be in Nassau on Sunday, November 16. However, strong winds made tendering to Norwegian Cruise Line's (NCL) private island, Great Stirrup Cay, impossible.
As such, guests on the weeklong Eastern Caribbean cruise got to enjoy a day in the capital of The Bahamas instead. Other stops on the itinerary include Tortola and St. Thomas.
Videos circulating on social media show the male clinging to a bright orange life preserver in the narrow gap between the concrete dock and the NCL ship.
It's not clear whether the man was traveling aboard the Norwegian Encore or how he ended up in the ocean.
However, some comments on social media speculate that the cruise guest may have been intoxicated after spending the day ashore.
"Probably drunk from the beach party, that was on junkanoo beach earlier," read one Facebook comment.
Others were frustrated by the number of people recording the incident, rather than trying to help.
"Wow it’s mind-boggling how recording became the new life saving mechanism," another social media user said.
Not the first time that a cruise guest has fallen off a pier this year
In April, a young child fell off the pier into the ocean while visiting Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's private island in The Bahamas.
Pictures taken by Henry Yeany show a group of concerned crew members and passengers looking over the edge of the pier, well past the bright yellow caution line that's meant to prevent guests from getting too close to the danger zone.
Luckily, the child was rescued, as other images showed the child being carried back onto their cruise ship by an adult.
A few months later, another guest fell off the pier at CocoCay while filming. They, too, were rescued after crew members threw a life ring into the water.
The incident happened in August before 8:00 a.m. Two ships, Star of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas, were in port.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
In addition to writing for Cruise.Blog, Elizabeth has bylines in Business Insider, Royal Caribbean Blog, and Cruiseshipfood.com.
