Royal Caribbean pianist rescued after overboard fall off California coast, Digi Mart USA News (off the coast of California): A pianist employed on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship was pulled to safety off the coast of California after two fishermen spotted him treading water in the Pacific Ocean.
The man, who has not been identified, was found conscious and taken to hospital after being rescued last week, the U.S. Coast Guard told Global News in a statement.
U.S. authorities believe he may have been in the water for up to nine hours before fishermen Sean Norton and Grant Garrett spotted him on their return from a fishing excursion near Catalina Island.
Garrett, speaking to CBS News, recalled the moment he realized there was a person in the water. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s a human being.
Stop the boat; let’s get all of our lines in,” he said.
The fishermen worked together to pull the man from the water, Garrett explained. Once the individual was safely on board, he told the men he was a pianist on board the Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas, a 14-deck vessel, the Coast Guard confirmed.
How he fell overboard is under investigation, it added.
“The only thing he said to me was, ‘Thank you. I thought I was gonna die,’” Norton told The Guardian.
The two-man fishing crew issued an emergency call alerting Newport Beach lifeguards to the rescue, according to the Coast Guard.
The individual was reported to be transported to Orange County Global Medical Center in stable condition for further medical evaluation and care. The Coast Guard said the rescue occurred 10 miles (16 kilometres) northeast of Avalon Harbor on the southeastern tip of Catalina Island.
Norton told CBS News he suspected unusually warm waters for this time of year may have helped the man survive. “You have this crazy super El Niño year.
This guy was in the water for probably 10 hours, but the water’s 76 degrees,” he said. “A different year, no way he makes it.”
The current El Niño cycle has driven ocean temperatures to record highs, with waters reaching 3.07°C above average, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
The cruise line told CBS News in a statement that it was “providing support and assistance” to the crew member, but that it would not comment further to respect the privacy of its employee. Global News reached out to Royal Caribbean but did not receive a response.
The incident follows a rescue mission last month after a Royal Caribbean passenger was found nearly 20 hours after falling overboard into the Ionian Sea near the Greek island of Zakynthos. The victim, a 44-year-old woman from El Salvador, was found conscious floating inside a lifebuoy.
Her rescue came nearly one month after a passenger went overboard from a cruise ship heading to Southern California from Mexico. The passenger, a 56-year-old man, was aboard the seven-night cruise that sailed to several coastal communities in Mexico before heading back to Southern California.
Rescue efforts were suspended after 41 hours.
