Passenger Intentionally Goes Overboard Carnival Cruise Ship

The Carnival cruise ship Elation was heading back to its homeport in Jacksonville, Florida on the morning of Sunday, July 23rd. The passenger, a 30-year-old male, intentionally went overboard approximately 95 kilometers east of Melbourne.

Carnival Cruise Line confirmed to Cruise Hive that the “crew was informed by his travel partner in the late afternoon about his absence”, after he had not been spotted throughout the entire day.

Unfortunately, upon inspecting the security cameras on board, the male passenger decided to jump into the water. Regrettably, the crew initiated an extensive search in hopes of finding the man who was now missing.

It is unknown if personal conflicts or alcohol played a role, but there is no available information regarding the details of the event. The reasons for the delayed report of the man’s disappearance earlier in the day are also undisclosed.

On Monday morning, the Carnival Elation returned to its homeport in Jacksonville after a four-day sailing to the Bahamas. The Carnival Care Team is providing support to the guest and their family, ensuring that their thoughts and concerns are addressed. The cruise line notified the authorities in both Shoreside and Jacksonville, and the crew was advised to continue their operations.

Air and surface teams from Miami, Clearwater, and Coast Guard Cutter Tarpon are currently engaged in an active search off the coast of Florida. The US Coast Guard initiated a search mission, and The Carnival Elation crew notified the appropriate land authorities.

The Carnival Elation, a 70,367-gross-ton ship, departed from Florida on Thursday, July 2023, for its first voyage. The sailing included calls to the Bimini Islands and Grand Bahama Island, ending with a four-day Bahamas cruise. The ship was heading back to Jacksonville at the time.

Carnival Elation, which is set to embark on a five-night Bahamas cruise on Monday, July 24, includes stops in Nassau and the exclusive Princess Cays. Despite the overboard alert, there will be no delay in the ship’s return for its next voyage, thanks to the timely scheduling. The Fantasy-class ship was not engaged in the search efforts and was instructed to proceed towards Jacksonville as planned.

Second Carnival Overboard in Recent Months

This is the second instance in recent months where a 35-year-old male passenger went overboard at the end of the Magic Carnival in May 2023.

Despite extensive search efforts spanning over 5,100 square miles, the passenger could not be found, despite the utilization of both air and water resources in that particular incident.

The search for the missing man from the Magic Carnival was not only reported as much more challenging but also extended over several hours. It is now similar to the search for the man who went overboard from the Carnival Elation.

Consideration must be given to local water conditions, such as currents, surface winds, and storms, when factoring in search patterns, as these factors can result in significant drifting of a person who has fallen overboard, away from the intended route of the ship. In cases where immediate search efforts cannot be initiated, rescue teams need to first determine the ship’s position at the time the overboard incident took place.

The exhaustive search for the 24-year-old man, who went overboard from the sailing ship in the Bahamas in February 2017, was suspended after failed efforts. The Carnival Elation had also experienced a similar situation of someone going overboard before.

After the unfortunate incident, the crew members of Carnival Elation 920 are working hard to bring another cruise-filled fun to the new guests in just a few hours. Our thoughts are with the friends and family of the missing passenger, as well.