Woman Rescued After 20 Hours at Sea Following Cruise Ship Jump

A woman jumped off a cruise ship into the Ionian Sea and was rescued after spending 20 hours in the water, reported the Greek coastguard. This incident happened early Friday as the Royal Caribbean Cruises’ ship, Odyssey of the Seas, was navigating southwest of Zakynthos island.

The 44-year-old, from El Salvador, explained to her rescuers that her decision to jump was because she “wanted to disembark.” After receiving an alert, two coastguard boats and a navy helicopter arrived at the scene, with nearby ships being redirected to assist in the search. Also joining in was the Odyssey of the Seas.

A freighter passing by noticed the woman, finding her conscious and inside a life ring, early Saturday. She was then rescued by a Greek coastguard patrol boat. Video footage from the coastguard shows crew members extending a rope to the woman, found floating within an orange life ring during the night.

Once rescued, she was transported to the port of Katakolo, followed by a hospital in Pyrgos for medical evaluations, including a psychiatric assessment as directed by a local prosecutor.

This incident draws parallels to a case last year when a man jumped off a Royal Caribbean cruise near the Port of San Juan, allegedly to evade over $16,000 in gambling debt. As described in a criminal complaint, Jey Gonzalez-Diaz jumped into the water during the ship’s disembarkation while under U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspection. He was aided to shore by a person on a jet ski and later faced charges related to monetary reporting evasion when entering the U.S.