Hero dad dives into sea to save daughter who fell from Disney Dream cruise, treading water for 20 minutes before they're pulled to safety
The Disney Dream ship was heading from Florida to the Bahamas when an alert suddenly boomed, 'Mr MOB … port side!' referring to 'man overboard,' video of the drama shows.
'A girl fell overboard from the 4th deck & her dad went in after her,' fellow passenger Kevin Furuta posted on Facebook.
Other tense vacationers watched as a bright yellow rescue boat was lowered into the water and eventually made its way to where the dad and daughter were bobbing in the Atlantic as they were drifting off.
The dad spent around 20 minutes in the sea holding his daughter — who appeared to be about 5 — before they were both pulled to safety, according to online posts.
'Lots of praying folks on this ship!' posted passenger Dewayne Smith, who also reported that the 'little girl fell overboard and her dad jumped overboard to try to save her.'
'Both the little girl and dad were both successfully rescued.'
It was not immediately clear how the girl fell into the ocean.
The fourth deck of the ship is one of the lowest publicly accessible platforms, likely fewer than 50 feet above the waterline.
It contains bars, a theater and an outdoor jogging track, according to a plan on the Disney Cruise Line website.
The deck is open-air, although its railings are chest-height to an adult, or higher than most kids' heads.
The railings also have plexiglass panels to prevent climbing on their bars.
Disney Cruise Line confirmed that its crew 'swiftly rescued two guests from the water.
'We commend our Crew Members for their exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship within minutes,' a rep told USA Today in a statement.
'We are committed to the safety and well-being of our guests, and this incident highlights the effectiveness of our safety protocols.'
Disney cruise liners each are equipped with an overboard detection system that alerts the ship's crew to people tumbling from the vessel into the sea in real time.
-Additional reporting by Jared Downing
Originally published as Hero dad dives into sea to save daughter who fell from Disney Dream cruise, treading water for 20 minutes before they're pulled to safety
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