Incredible Moment Cruise Passenger Rescued After Falling From 10th Deck

Videos captured the moment a woman who went overboard while on a cruise ship was rescued.

The woman fell into the water from the 10th deck of Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas on Sunday evening, the U.S. Coast Guard told Fox 35.

The ship left Port Canaveral, in Florida, on Friday, June 23, for an eight-day round trip to the Caribbean, according to the CruiseMapper website.

At the time the woman went overboard, the ship was about 27 nautical miles south of Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, and was headed to Willemstad, Curaçao.

The U.S. Coast Guard at Sector San Juan received a report at around 5:44 p.m. that the ship's crew had rescued the woman. She was identified only as a 42-year-old U.S. citizen.

She was reported to be in good health following the rescue, the Coast Guard statement said.

Matthew Kuhn, who was on the cruise with his family, shared videos of the rescue on Twitter.

"They found her. Can't believe and she is alive and well. People were out spotting and yelling that they saw her. Crew was on the spot in minutes," Kuhn wrote in one tweet.

In one video he shared, passengers can be heard cheering and clapping as the woman is rescued.

Kuhn told Fox 35 that he initially thought the woman had died after seeing life rafts and smoke. "To go from, 'She's probably not going to be found,'—and... it's a body recovery, versus 'Holy crap, they found her, and she's alive!'" Kuhn said.

He said fellow passengers did what they could to aid the rescue crew.

"I think it was amazing to see everyone was on their balcony. Everyone was trying to help, and the crew was very receptive to everyone," he said.

The Coast Guard said a medical evacuation was not requested.

"The passenger was being kept on the cruise ship's medical facility and later transferred to the Hospital in Willemstad, Curaçao for evaluation," the agency said. "The Coast Guard is investigating the circumstances that led to the passenger going overboard."

In a statement to Newsweek, a Royal Caribbean spokesperson said: "On Sunday, June 25, a guest went overboard on Mariner of the Seas. 

"The ship and crew immediately reported the incident to local authorities and began searching for the guest. Thankfully, the guest was successfully recovered and was brought on board. Our Care team is now offering assistance and support to them and their traveling party.  Out of privacy for the guest and their family,  we have no additional details to share."

The Mariner of the Seas continued to its next destination after the woman's rescue. The ship is set to return to Port Canaveral on July 1.

Update 6/29/23, 3:05 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to add comment from a Royal Caribbean spokesperson.