The search for a British tourist who fell from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship into the Adriatic Sea concluded after four days. Authorities determined that it was unlikely that the man would be found alive.
The individual, whose identity has not been disclosed, reportedly fell from the Explorer of the Seas in the early morning of August 3, 2024. The ship was navigating near the deserted island of Jabuka in Croatia, approximately 45 miles west of Split. The incident, which happened around 4:30 a.m., involved the passenger falling from a height of roughly 100 feet. The circumstances leading to the fall remain uncertain.
Rescue efforts were initiated immediately following the incident, involving planes and boats. Croatian authorities, including the Coast Guard and the National Center for Coordination of Search and Rescue at Sea, focused their efforts on the waters surrounding the Vis archipelago, a secluded group of islands close to the location where the man was last seen. Despite the warm sea temperatures, optimism for a successful rescue began to wane after the initial 24 hours.
Marin Keko, a coordinator at the National Center for Coordination of Search and Rescue at Sea, commented on the efforts, hoping the man would be found.
The Royal Caribbean cruise ship was on a seven-day journey that started in Ravenna, Italy, and included stops in Greece and Croatia. Passengers were alerted to the emergency early in the morning by alarms and an announcement over the ship’s public address system.
Nicole Bullock, a passenger on the ship, recounted the experience in a post on social media platform X, saying, “Woken up on the cruise ship around 3:40 a.m. to the emergency message ‘Oscar Oscar Oscar off the port side.’ Man overboard. Been watching the rescue efforts off my balcony all day, hoping for a positive outcome.”
Despite initial hopes that the warm sea temperatures—around 75°F—might permit the man to survive longer, experts began to voice doubts as time went on.
The Explorer of the Seas does not have a sophisticated man overboard detection system, a feature that some in the cruise industry consider crucial for enhancing safety on large vessels. According to Cruise Law News, this is the 414th person to fall overboard from a cruise ship or large ferry in the past 25 years.
This incident has left many passengers and crew members unsettled. The ship continued its voyage after the search was concluded, although the scheduled stop in Zadar, Croatia, was canceled. The Royal Caribbean company has not yet issued an official statement about the incident. The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) confirmed that they were informed about the situation and were liaising with the cruise company, but did not provide additional details.
This is not the first instance of a passenger falling from a cruise ship in the region. In 2018, British woman Kay Longstaff fell from a Norwegian Cruise Line ship off the coast of Croatia and survived after spending 10 hours in the water. However, the circumstances of each incident are different, and survival probabilities vary significantly depending on factors such as water temperature, the height of the fall, and the individual’s physical condition.
