Saturday 26 November 2022 06:32 PM Carnival cruiser fell overboard after he was repeatedly told to stop vaping by ... trends now

Saturday 26 November 2022 06:32 PM Carnival cruiser fell overboard after he was repeatedly told to stop vaping by ... trends now
Saturday 26 November 2022 06:32 PM Carnival cruiser  fell overboard after he was repeatedly told to stop vaping by ... trends now

Saturday 26 November 2022 06:32 PM Carnival cruiser fell overboard after he was repeatedly told to stop vaping by ... trends now

The 28-year-old Carnival Valor passenger who was miraculously rescued after spending 15 hours treading water in the Gulf of Mexico disappeared after he was repeatedly told to stop vaping by staff. 

A passenger on board the ship, Whitney Gaines, told DailyMail.com that she sat next to the missing man's family at breakfast the morning after he vanished. The family were talking about how he didn't come back to his room that night. 

Gaines said that his family were talking about how 'he kept getting in trouble for vaping in non-designated smoke areas, because there's only one area where you can really go smoke.' 

She added: 'I think they were kind of alluding to the fact that he stepped out to go somewhere.' Gaines said that the family thought he was inebriated. 

According to Carnival's official website, smoking, including vaping, is only permitted on Decks 3 and 10 on board the ship, as well in the boat's casino. 

A passenger on board the ship, Whitney Gaines, pictured here, told DailyMail.com that she sat next to the missing man's family at breakfast the morning after he vanished. The family were talking about how he didn't come back to his room that night

A passenger on board the ship, Whitney Gaines, pictured here, told DailyMail.com that she sat next to the missing man's family at breakfast the morning after he vanished. The family were talking about how he didn't come back to his room that night

The boat was on its way from New Orleans to Cozumel when the man went overboard

Gaines also said that the missing man's sister said that she had been with him in one of the ship's bars. 'She said he was with me. And then he wasn't.' 

All of the bars on board the Valor close at 11 pm, his disappearance prompted the family to continue to search the ship until 3 am. 

It wasn't until later in the day when Gaines said that she was watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade along with her husband that they noticed security guards frantically running around the deck. 

She added: 'Then they started making an announcement for a gentleman. And they announced that multiple times.' 

Eventually, Gaines said that she and her husband noticed that the ship was turning around, but there was no announcement made about the search. 

Around 9 pm, Gaines said that the captain came on the ship's PA to say that they had been involved in a search-and-rescue effort but that it had ended and they were cleared to go back on their journey.  

The dramatic moment that the missing man was hoisted out of the Gulf of Mexico after 15 hours was released by the US Coast Guard on Friday night. It shows the man desperately trying to keep his head above the swelling waves.

He vanishes for seconds at a time but manages to claw himself back above the swirling water off the coast of Louisiana.

Rescuers finally managed to drag him out the water using a basket suspended from a helicopter in the darkness at 8.25pm.

The Coast Guard said he was suffering from hypothermia and dehydration.

It comes after a tanker spotted the man - who has not been formally named - flailing in the water earlier in the evening.

The incredible footage, released by the US Coast Guard on Friday night, shows the man desperately trying to keep his head above the swelling waves

The incredible footage, released by the US Coast Guard on Friday night, shows the man desperately trying to keep his head above the swelling waves

He vanishes for seconds at a time (pictured, just a hand visible above the water) but manages to claw himself back above the swirling water off the coast of Louisiana

He vanishes for seconds at a time (pictured, just a hand visible above the water) but manages to claw himself back above the swirling water off the coast of Louisiana

The almost pitch-black clip shows Coast Guard officers scrambling to get to him as he is chucked around by the stormy sea

The almost pitch-black clip shows Coast Guard officers scrambling to get to him as he is chucked around by the stormy sea

They carefully lower a basket from the helicopter, and he fails to cling on to it several times before finally finding his grip

They carefully lower a basket from the helicopter, and he fails to cling on to it several times before finally finding his grip

He is then winched up towards the helicopter and bundled into the chopper before being medically evaluated

He is then winched up towards the helicopter and bundled into the chopper before being medically evaluated

The dramatic new footage, which the rescuers tweeted out late on Friday, showed the daring mission to save the man from the freezing waters off Southwest Pass.

The almost pitch-black clip shows Coast Guard officers scrambling to get to him as he is chucked around by the stormy sea.

They carefully lower a basket from the helicopter and he fails to cling on to it several times before finally finding his grip.

He is then winched up towards the helicopter and bundled into the chopper before being medically evaluated.

The Coast Guard said he was suffering from hypothermia as well as shock and dehydration but was in a stable condition.

They also revealed he told them he was the man who had disappeared overboard but was unable to reveal how he toppled into the ocean.

He also gave them his name, but it has not been released publicly. The man was airlifted to New Orleans and is being treated at a hospital.

Rescuers finally managed to drag him out the water using a basket suspended from a helicopter in the darkness at 8.25pm

Rescuers finally managed to drag him out the water using a basket suspended from a helicopter in the darkness at 8.25pm

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