Carnival cruise man who went overboard 'wasn't drunk' but had day drinks before ... trends now
This is the moment a cruise passenger, who said he has no idea how he ended up going overboard, celebrated winning an air guitar competition - before vanishing off the side of the ship.
James Michael Grimes, 28, was on the first day of a five-day Thanksgiving cruise with 18 family members when he vanished from the bar of the Carnival Valor at around 11pm on November 23, after telling his sister he was going to the bathroom.
In an interview with Good Morning America, he said he has no idea how he went overboard but insisted he was not drunk, though he 'couldn't really say' how many drinks he'd had.
He did, however, say he'd had a few drinks during the day before taking part in the air guitar competition - and celebrating with 'a free drink' he won.
Grimes, survived 20 hours in the shark-infested Gulf of Mexico by treading water and eating floating bamboo.
Air guitar hero: James Michael Grimes, 28, was on the first day of a five-day Thanksgiving cruise with 18 family members when he vanished from the bar of the Carnival Valor after telling his sister he was going to the bathroom at around 11pm. He was rescued from the Gulf of Mexico 20 hours later after treading water and eating 'floating bamboo' to survive
He said: 'I did like an air guitar solo and there was a competition they were doing and I had won it so I won a free drink so I had that.'
He claims that while he wasn’t ‘inebriated’, he 'couldn't say' how many drinks he thought he had - denying he had a 'ton'.
Sceptics have poked fun at his version of events, particularly how he could not know how he went overboard and how much alcohol he'd consumed before the incident.
James Michael Grimes, 28, says he survived by eating bamboo and can see the funny side of the life-threatening encounter after plunging into the sea
Grimes, who is described as an outdoorsman from Lafayette, Alabama, said he thinks the fall overboard knocked him unconscious before he came to his senses in the water with no sign of the ship nearby. He was rescued by the Coast Guard on November 24.
Speaking to GMA he said: ‘The next thing I know I regained consciousness. I was in the water with no boat in sight.
‘I felt like I was given a chance right then... you're alive for a reason... that fall could've killed me, but I felt like from that moment on, I was trying to stay positive.
‘And, you know when you're here, you're still alive for a reason. So, all you got to do now is swim and survive. I was hoping... they will start looking for me... they will find me eventually.'
He claims that he was not drunk but said that he 'couldn't say' exactly how much he had to drink - denying that he consumed 'tons'. Grimes admitted having a few drinks during the day, adding: 'I did like an air guitar solo and there was a competition they were doing and I had won it so I won a free drink so I had that'
Grimes had been given a free drink for winning an air guitar competition on the ship just hours before falling overboard and admitted drinking before and after but couldn't say how much he consumed
Many viewers of his interview have questioned how Grimes can claim he doesn't know what happened - and denies drinking before falling overboard despite several claims he was inebriated
Grimes admitted having a few drinks during the day, adding: 'I did like an air guitar solo and there was a competition they were doing and I had won it so I won a free drink so I had that.'
He claims that while he wasn’t ‘inebriated’, he 'couldn't say' how many drinks he thought he had - denying he had a 'ton'.
The 28-year-old has been quizzed as to what happened but says he has no recollection of the incident, a claim that's been met with raised eyebrows.
One skeptic said: 'If "I didn't have too much to drink, I promise" was a person' alongside a picture of Grimes.
Another said ‘this guy should definitely avoid rooftop bars’ while a third added that he was ‘definitely drunk’ to not remember what happened.
Grimes claims that while he wasn’t ‘inebriated’, he and his sister had enjoyed some drinks after he won an air guitar competition.
He also claims that he was forced to fend off a creature with a fin, which he initially thought was a shark, while floating in the waters after falling off the ship.
He had been spending Thanksgiving on the five-day cruise with 18 members of his family, including his parents and sister - as the ship traveled towards Cozumel, Mexico.
Grimes added: ‘I thought it was a shark. I mean, I was swimming in one direction and looked around I seen it out the corner of my eye and it came up on me really quick and went under and I
