03 September 2009 by Walter Pacheco - Sentinel Staff Writer
Officials say man rescued by Disney cruise ship jumped off another ship
The Disney Wonder cruise ship rescued a man who was found swimming in the Atlantic Ocean this morning.
Reports show the man rescued by a Disney cruise ship this morning had jumped from his original ship as it sailed back to Cape Canaveral.
"The guest was witnessed jumping overboard from a balcony stateroom on the Carnival Sensation which was on the final night of a four-day cruise to the Bahamas," a statement issued by Carnival Cruise Lines this morning shows.
Carnival Cruise Lines did not release the man's name or hometown.
The ship searched for the 34-year-old man and initiated a rescue operation when they learned he had jumped. Carnival Sensation returned to the area where the man went overboard -- somewhere near the St. Lucie Inlet.
Carnival authorities called the U.S. Coast Guard which sent out a chopper, a cutter and another boat to search for the man, Coast Guard Petty Officer Nick Ameen said.
Ameen said the Disney Wonder, which was sailing in the same area at 12:15 a.m. and returning to Cape Canaveral, found the man first, about 28 miles east of the St. Lucie Inlet.
"The man had been treading water for about 90 minutes and was very tired," Ameen said. Medical personnel aboard the Disney Wonder checked the man for injuries, but he was in good condition.
Both ships are now moored at Port Canaveral this morning.
The man requested he be returned to the Carnival Sensation, which departs this afternoon to the Bahamas for a three-day cruise.
Memorial Univeristy of Newfoundland professor Ross Klein tracks the number of people who fall off ships. According to his website cruisejunkie.com, a total of eight people, including Thursday's jumper, have gone overboard on Carnival cruise ships.
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