Over the weekend, a Royal Caribbean passenger fell off the pier into the ocean at the cruise line's private island.
Witnesses captured the terrifying moment when a guest plunged from the pier into the water, as well as the harrowing rescue that followed, on Saturday, July 11, at Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Two cruise ships visited CocoCay on Saturday: Adventure of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas. Although it's unclear what ship the passenger was sailing on, he fell from the pier into the water between the dock and Adventure of the Seas.
(Credit: Don Goldstein)
According to passenger reports, the secret code word "Oscar, Oscar, Oscar" was broadcast around 1:25 p.m., indicating a man-overboard incident.
Supposedly, the guest was on a mobility scooter that suddenly malfunctioned, causing him to veer off the designated path and into the water. However, that has not been confirmed by the cruise line.
(Credit: @dogsfamily_love / TikTok)
Moments after the guest fell into the water, a security guard immediately jumped in after him, and other crew members rushed into action, gathering life rings and other rescue equipment.
Another crew member climbed onto one of the fenders to get a closer look at the scary situation and help coordinate the rescue with those on the dock.
(Credit: @dogsfamily_love / TikTok)
In the end, over two dozen cruise line employees took part in the rescue effort, ranging from senior officers to maintenance workers and medical staff.
One video shows that the elderly passenger was eventually pulled from the water on a spine board stretcher before being moved to another stretcher for easier transport. He was then covered with blankets and urgently rushed on Wonder of the Seas to receive further medical treatment.
(Credit: @dogsfamily_love / TikTok)
As he was rescued, cheers erupted from witnesses, both ashore and on the ships, who had watched the dramatic overboard incident unfold.
Wonder of the Seas was on a three-night cruise to The Bahamas from Miami, returning to Florida on Monday, July 13, according to CruiseMapper. CocoCay was the first port of call on the short itinerary, followed by Nassau on Sunday, July 12.
(Credit: @dogsfamily_love / TikTok)
Adventure of the Seas, on the other hand, had just kicked off an eight-night Caribbean cruise to Perfect Day at CocoCay, the Dominican Republic, Aruba, and Curaçao. The Voyager Class ship is scheduled to return to Port Canaveral, Florida, on July 18.
At the time of publication, Royal Caribbean International had not provided a comment regarding the incident at its private island.
Social media response
The videos quickly went viral on social media, with many viewers expressing concern for the passenger's well-being and wishing him a speedy recovery.
"Thanks for sharing WOW hope he is ok," said Lisa Fazio Frelier on TikTok.
user3168693269714 added, "I hope he is ok saw this yesterday we're on the adventure of the seas."
"I pray he is okay truly my family and I watched and we're really concerned ♥️♥️♥️," Brittany added.
Not the first time someone fell off the cruise pier at CocoCay
(Credit: Henry Yeany / Facebook)
Last year, a child fell off the pier into the ocean at Perfect Day at CocoCay. The incident occurred near the area where the cruise ships are tied up to the moorings, with the fenders leaving a small gap between the vessel and the dock, as Royal Caribbean Blog previously reported.
Thankfully, passenger reports indicate that the young child was quickly rescued and brought back on Symphony of the Seas for medical treatment.
A few months later, another Royal Caribbean passenger fell into the ocean while visiting the island. The incident happened after the guest reportedly walked too close to the edge of the dock while filming Star of the Seas, triggering "man overboard" protocols around 8:00 a.m.
Crew members quickly responded, throwing a life ring to the passenger, who then grabbed and clung to it while awaiting rescue from the water. A rescue team on a jet ski quickly approached and safely returned him to shore.
