What happens when a passenger falls overboard on a cruise ship?

Times

02-07-2025

When some ships stand 70m above the waterline, you wouldn't want to imagine falling off one. Yet on rare occasions, people do. If you're ever enjoying a nightcap or stroll on deck after dinner and hear a Code Oscar — 'Oscar, Oscar, Oscar' — then keep calm. It's a broadcast from the bridge over the ship's public address system, alerting the crew that someone has gone overboard.
The situation is frightening for other passengers and crew, alarming for the cruise line and also expensive. It might not be a case of merely chucking a lifebuoy either — complex search and rescue operations can involve coastguards, nearby ships and drones or helicopters.In June 2025, a young girl fell overboard from the fourth deck of the Disney Dream cruise ship, which was off the port of Fort Lauderdale. The child's father jumped in after her and both were quickly rescued by the crew.
Earlier in 2025, Kimberly Burch, the fiancée of Taime Downe, lead singer of American rock band Faster Pussycat, went overboard and is presumed dead — her body has not been recovered. The group were on deck to perform on an Eighties-themed Royal Caribbean cruise.
One passenger who went overboard in June 2023 survived a fall from the tenth deck of Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas, off the coast of the Dominican Republic. The 42-year-old woman recovered and was in good health, the coastguard said following the incident.
Provided you behave sensibly on a ship, it's unlikely that you're going to topple off it. Keep an eye on your children and know where they are. Follow the crew's instructions in rough weather. And however much hospitality you've enjoyed on board, stay off those railings.
I've been on board when a Code Oscar has been announced. Several years ago, I was on a Carnival ship, some distance out of Mykonos. The call went out. While the crew are thoroughly trained in dealing with 'man overboard' emergencies and leapt into action, it was a different story among the passengers for the simple reason that you don't know who has fallen off the ship. School holidays were in full swing and there were hundreds of children and teenagers on board, many of whom were in the kids' club, or otherwise away from their parents. Ashen-faced mums and dads were racing all over the ship, trying to find their offspring.
The drama unfolded as the captain slowed right down and started circling the area where the sighting of the 'person' had been reported. Rescue boats were lowered, spotlights focused on the water, and the coastguard summoned. I was in the dining room with my kids at the time and everybody rushed to one side of the room to watch.
It turned out that the alarm was a false one. Some passengers, after a liquid lunch, had spotted an air bed floating in the water and had taken it for a person and raised the alarm, the captain later told me through gritted teeth.
However spurious the apparent sighting of a person overboard, every alarm has to be taken with the utmost seriousness. The crew will always operate to the same protocols; stop the ship, turn around to the spot where the incident happened, inform the coastguard and put down rescue boats. The idea of falling off a cruise ship is a chilling one but is also extremely rare. According to trade body Cruise Lines International Association (Clia), between 2009 and 2019, 212 people, representing just 0.00004 per cent of passengers and crew, went overboard.
It's near-impossible to fall off a ship by accident. People who fall off ships are likely either drunk, high, suicidal, or are pushed. In the Clia report, every case that had been investigated was the result of 'an intentional or reckless act'. That's not to say it couldn't happen — but really, worrying about falling off the ship shouldn't even feature on your list of potential disaster-at-sea scenarios.
'Railings are designed to prevent people from going overboard,' says a spokesperson for Clia. 'Cruise ships have safety barriers in all public areas that are regulated by the US Coast Guard. By law, railings must be 42 inches tall. This height governs the railing of ships sailing not only in the US but elsewhere in the world.'
Every balcony has either several railings or a plexiglass or steel panel so that no person can accidentally slide underneath. Cabins with a private balcony have locks high up on the doors, out of the reach of young children, so if you do leave your kids alone in the cabin for a while (which is not advised), they shouldn't be able to open the door.
Ships carrying more than 250 passengers sailing in and out of US ports are also governed by the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act, which requires them to have video monitoring — meaning any unsafe behaviour or person overboard can quickly be spotted. In the event of rough weather that is potentially dangerous, the captain will close the outside decks to avoid anybody being flung around.
Ships are built to the highest possible safety standards — and many use cutting-edge technology, too. For example, Ambassador Cruise Line has installed Zelim's intelligent man overboard detection system, ZOE, onboard Ambition. The system uses infrared and daylight cameras, sensors and software to detect and track anyone entering the water unexpectedly.
Passengers have a responsibility for their own safety, too. You're told very clearly at the mandatory safety briefing never to climb on the railings. In more than 20 years of writing about cruising, I've only seen one person sitting on the railing, an influencer posing for Instagram. Good luck with that.
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Additional reporting by James Williams