We have a jumper--the Conquest may be late arriving back to Galveston this morning. It wasn't there as of this posting and usually is docked about 7:00 am..
That's odd behavior. I wonder if this would indicate a suicide attempt or if he was just really drunk. Does this happen often? ("Often" in this case being a relative term. Obviously it doesn't happen every cruise but maybe once a year or something)
That's odd behavior. I wonder if this would indicate a suicide attempt or if he was just really drunk. Does this happen often? ("Often" in this case being a relative term. Obviously it doesn't happen every cruise but maybe once a year or something)
It "seems" that it is happening more often than it once did but that is a perception and, off the top of my head, I can't back it up with any facts. There are many more cruisers and cruise ships than there were ten years ago so the number of incidents has increased.
I don't think anyone has ever "fallen" off a cruise ship. They may have fallen because they did something stupid like climbing up on the railing to get a better view; climb from one balcony to another; doing something stupid when drunk or just decided to commit suicide. It seems that you hear about this three or four times a year.
If you don't do anything stupid or jump off the ship then you'll be fine.
Take care,
Mike
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Yeah, I'm sure there's ample safeguards to prevent someone unintentionally doing that. Human behavior fascinates me, though, and I wonder why someone would choose to do that. Maybe he just didn't want to go home.
So sad, My heart breaks for the loved ones of this person. Prayers going up for them.
Laura
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well i was on that ship that night and the captain had said that a person had gotten sick and was needing medical assistance..so we were already one and half hours out from cozumel..and we stopped and turned around and headed back and the tender boat was there and got the person off and the captain had asked that we all pray for this person complete recovery...later on that evening the captain got on and said it was a successful delivery ...the next day (saturday) the captain got on and said that we all should continue praying for this person and that we were going to be two or so hours late coming into galveston...later on people were saying it was a male and that he had a mini stroke a couple of weeks earlier and then had another stroke that day after getting back from cozumel. Sunday, we all heard that the man was flown into galveston to be with his family...two different stories...
We had one on a P&O ship, coming into Southampton very slow & under the pilot, dead calm.....she was recovered within the hour ...Dead.
Inquest said "injuries consistent with a fall of 80 feet into water." Very sad, they say she fell but not how...
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well i was on that ship that night and the captain had said that a person had gotten sick and was needing medical assistance..so we were already one and half hours out from cozumel..and we stopped and turned around and headed back and the tender boat was there and got the person off and the captain had asked that we all pray for this person complete recovery...later on that evening the captain got on and said it was a successful delivery ...the next day (saturday) the captain got on and said that we all should continue praying for this person and that we were going to be two or so hours late coming into galveston...later on people were saying it was a male and that he had a mini stroke a couple of weeks earlier and then had another stroke that day after getting back from cozumel. Sunday, we all heard that the man was flown into galveston to be with his family...two different stories...
You know - when I'm on a cruise ship, I always get balconies. You cannot fall off of them accidently. I look out into the deep blue dark sea at night and wonder to myself what someone must feel like to 'jump' into the darkness. OMG - I would be so scared! I think of the movie "open water" - I have been depressed before - but never to the extent of wanting to kill myself. Think of it tho - its an easy way to do it if one wanted. Out in the middle of no where if your alone, you could jump and if no one sees your a gone pecan until someone realizes you are gone. I can see why it is becoming more common as it is 'easy' Sad, but true. I pray for the families these people leave behind and more so for the individual who feels they need to take their own life
While I would never ever condone jumping overboard, no matter what the circumstances, I do wonder what the percentage of jumpers is to the total passengers carried in that 10 year period? While again 1 jumper is one to many, perhaps if the 2 figures were compared side by side, they wouldn't seem quite that bad. JMHO. And were any of those jumpers rescued? Not being picky here, and especially not picking on Trip, maybe the figures are not as bad as they seem?
I think we as cruise lovers look at these numbers, and, think how sad, and, so many lives lost. But I do think you are right, when you think of the millions of cruisers, who sailed during this time frame, vs the total number, above.
Do you remember the man who fell off the ship in San Juan harbor and swam back into port? He was drunk,and probably that had all to do with his surviving. There was another young man, who jumped through a window, I think?? That was just a couple of years ago. These 2 people were so fortunate.
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Last edited by Trip; September 25th, 2011 at 08:43 PM.
Exactly one week later...I just researched it..both stories have a lot of similarities...I stand corrected...very horrible situation..hope the family find some closure...
I'm not certain where Trip got the figures she posted, but assuming they are correct.... in that decade somewhere in the neighborhood of 9 -12 MILLION people cruised.
It's very sad for all the families of those who died, but I'd bet the average suicide rate in a population of 100 million, would have a much higher suicide rate.
How in the world could someone jump out a window on a cruise ship? I have never seen a window that opened?
And I don't think that being on a vacation would keep someone who is suicidal from jumping. Seems like a very scary way to go, but it would be quick. But what it would do to surviving loved ones is horrifying, since the body would probably never be found.
OH dear, I need to go find a happier thread!!!!
Marty
Kuki... about 12,000,000 cruises are taken every YEAR from the US, so in a decade it is 10-times that figure.
I have done EXTENSIVE research on this topic. Most people who jump do it to commit suicide. In fact, something like 1 in 20 suicide attempts fail. However, jumping from a cruise ship is a very easy and sure way to do it and not fail. Also - vastly relevent is that the availability of a means to commit suicide makes it five times more likely for an attempt to be made (suicidal people should not keep handguns). This means that when suicidal people take a cruise the thoughts creep up and it is just too easy for them to give in.
The vast majority of "jumpers" are never recovered, because with even the slightest chop in the sea you cannot see a person in the water - they just don't stand out at all. The ones who are recovered were usually very drunk when they went over, and they say they don't remember how it happened. See, all it takes is a momentary split decision to make the irreversable act. I also believe that is why cruise ship suicides almost never leave notes - because they don't plan it out, they see the power of the sea and their thoughts get the best of them. They just do it.
Golden Gate jumpers don't leave notes either.
People who do this tend to be either elderly, depressed or young adults. The first two categories want to end their lives, (and it usually appears more planned out) but I have a gut feeling the young adults who do it act impulsively, actually thinking they will survive. They really don't understand how dangerous it is.
I think they believe the landing will be soft, and that they may see land and believe it is closer than it looks.
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Marty, it took me a while to find it, but, from Events at Sea: Carnival Glory, 3/07
A 35 year old man was rescued approximately eight hours after jumping or falling overboard from the ship when it was 30 miles east of Fort Lauderdale. A witness said that the man, who was intoxicated, ran through a window and then fell 60 feet into the ocean -- it is not clear whether the window was open at the time. The ship was en route to Nassau and will arrive slightly behind schedule.
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The case of a man jumping throgh a window? I remember it well. He had an argument with his younger male companion, and being slightly intoxicated, decided he would do something crazy - so he literally ran and dived through the glass on the balcony railing.
I have no idea how he even lived through that, but he did.
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To get a bunch of grumpy passengers off as soon as possible?
On the suicide issue, alcohol and suicide are frequent companions.
I was on board the Conquest last week. There were rumours everywhere about what happened and the only common denominator was alcohol. I do not know that alcohol was involved for a fact.
(I no longer drink but I have had my share of alcohol influenced bad choices and am very grateful I lived through them.)
Our Captain, besides announcements of the event, also had a letter placed under our door on Saturday morning to the effect that the passenger went overboard and was still missing and the Mexican coastgard was involved in the search. Please keep him and his family in our thoughts and prayers. We did pray for him and them immediately.
Any thoughts on why Conquest pulled in facing forward?
It does on occasion for various reasons. I suspect this time it was to inspect sometime on the port side, I saw a boom crane in one of the news reports.
CONQUEST LATE - man jumps from ship
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