Two American tourists died in separate drowning incidents at Carnival Cruise Line’s newly opened private resort in the Bahamas on Friday, August 15, 2025, according to police and cruise line officials.
The deaths occurred at Celebration Key, a $600 million private destination for Carnival cruise passengers that opened in July on Grand Bahama Island. The victims were a 79-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman, both American nationals traveling with their families on separate cruise ships.
The first incident happened just before noon local time when the elderly man became unresponsive while snorkeling off one of the resort’s beaches. A Carnival cruise passenger from Arkansas, John Kopta, was among the witnesses who helped pull the man from the water. Kopta indicated that he and his wife noticed the snorkeler at the bottom of the shallow water not moving and immediately jumped into action with another beach-goer.
Kopta described pulling the man from the water with assistance from two other people, explaining that the victim appeared lifeless when they brought him to shore. Lifeguards and medical personnel immediately began performing CPR, with approximately 10 lifeguards forming a perimeter around the scene while emergency medical technicians arrived on all-terrain vehicles. Despite extensive resuscitation efforts, the man was pronounced dead by medical doctors.
The second drowning occurred at approximately 2:30 p.m. the same day when the 74-year-old woman was discovered unresponsive in a swimming pool at the resort. According to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, a lifeguard pulled the woman from the water and administered CPR, but she was also pronounced dead by medical personnel.
The two passengers were traveling on different Carnival vessels – the man was aboard the Mardi Gras, which departs from Port Canaveral in Orlando, while the woman was sailing on the Carnival Elation from Jacksonville. Both ships had docked at the private resort as part of their Caribbean itineraries.
A Carnival spokesperson confirmed the incidents in a statement, noting that lifeguards and medical teams responded to two separate water emergency incidents – one in the pool and one at the beach. The cruise line expressed condolences to the families and confirmed that their care team was providing assistance to the bereaved relatives.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force is leading investigations into both deaths. Police officials stated that autopsies will be performed to determine the exact causes of death, with investigations continuing in both cases. The identities of the victims have not been publicly released.
Celebration Key represents one of Carnival’s largest investments in private destinations, featuring five distinct zones including beaches, lagoons, swimming pools, restaurants, and entertainment venues. The resort includes what the cruise line describes as the largest freshwater lagoon in the Caribbean, spanning 275,000 square feet, along with an 11,000-square-foot infinity pool at the Pearl Cove Beach Club.
The facility is designed exclusively for Carnival cruise passengers, with projections indicating approximately two million visitors annually, expected to double by 2028. Construction is already underway to extend the pier to accommodate two additional ships simultaneously.
Carnival officials emphasized their cooperation with law enforcement during the investigation. Company representatives highlighted that the resort employs trained lifeguards and medical professionals who respond to emergency situations, though they acknowledged the tragic outcome despite prompt response efforts.
The drownings occurred within a three-hour span at the recently opened facility, which cost approximately $600 million to develop and is located about 100 miles off the Florida coast. The resort opened as part of Carnival’s strategy to provide exclusive destinations for their cruise passengers in the Caribbean region.