Carnival cruise ship passenger rescued after spending Thanksgiving Day treading water in Gulf of Mexico
Despite water temperatures in the 60s and 70s, hyperthermia can start after several hours
Thanksgiving Day rescue off coast of Louisiana
A passenger who somehow fell off the Carnival Valor was found treading water in the northern Gulf of Mexico on Thursday.
NEW ORLEANS – A Carnival Cruise ship passenger is back on dry land after spending most of Thanksgiving Day in the chilly waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
The Coast Guard reported receiving the call around 2:30 p.m. Thursday of a missing passenger aboard the Carnival Valor, which departed New Orleans only 24 hours before on a five-day cruise around Mexico.
The agency said multiple resources responded south of the mouth of the Mississippi River, but during the search, a bulk cargo carrier radioed in a sighting of the 28-year-old man about 20 miles south of the coast.
Video taken by the Coast Guard showed the moment the man was spotted by a Jayhawk helicopter and hoisted to safety.
The Carnival Valor cruise ship sets sail from the Port of New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., on Thursday, March 3, 2022. The NOLA port ended strengthened its economic benefit to the region and state in 2021 with wins across all four of its lines of business: cargo, rail, industrial real estate and cruise.
(Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"We are beyond grateful that this case ended with a positive outcome," Lt. Seth Gross, a New Orleans sector search and rescue mission coordinator, said in a statement. "It took a total team effort from Coast Guard watchstanders, response crews, and our professional maritime partners operating in the Gulf of Mexico to locate the missing individual and get him to safety. If not for the alert crew aboard the motor vessel Crinis, this case could have had a much more difficult ending."
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The man apparently spent more than half a day treading through the water without the help of a flotation device.
Buoy data observations show water temperatures in the 60s to lower 70s in the region, which the Coast Guard said is plenty cool enough to reduce a person’s core body temperature and allow hyperthermia to begin.
Any extended exposure to water temperatures around 70 degrees or below can lead to exhaustion and unconsciousness.
Water temperatures Gulf of Mexico
(FOX Weather)
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The Coast Guard did not state whether they believe the man purposely jumped or accidentally fell off the nearly 3,000-passenger cruise ship.
At last report, the passenger was receiving medical care in New Orleans and was in stable condition.