A heart-stopping incident unfolded aboard the Icon of the Seas last Sunday (July 27) when a Royal Caribbean passenger jumped into an infinity pool in a desperate attempt to retrieve his lost sunglasses—only to flip headfirst over the pool’s edge.
The video shows the man dangling precariously over the glass barrier of the Hideaway Pool, an adults-only area located on Deck 15 of what’s been called “the world’s largest cruise ship.”
As the man waves his right arm over the side, apparently searching for the sunglasses, he lifts his legs to gain leverage: a mistake that caused him to lose balance and flip entirely over the railing.
A video of a passenger falling from a Royal Caribbean cruise’s pool’s edge went viral
Image credits: Zoshua Colah/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
With onlookers being heard gasping and shouting as the man seemingly disappeared into the ocean, the clip went predictably viral over the last few days. To viewers, the man looked as if he had plunged straight into the open ocean.
In the hours that followed, speculation ran rampant online. Some feared the worst, assuming the man had gone overboard, while others questioned how such a fall could happen on a modern cruise ship.
Image credits: anayastraveldiary
It wasn’t until later that the narrative began to shift. Several netizens claiming to be on board the Icon of the Seas chimed in, offering firsthand accounts that brought much-needed clarity to the situation.
Image credits: onlyinfloridaa
“He fell into a space not open to the public,” one alleged eyewitness wrote before revealing how bad the accident could’ve been.
“If he had fallen over the railing completely, he would have dropped to Deck 5, right into the kids’ splash area. That’s ten decks down.”
The man was confined to his room and was not permitted to leave until the ship returned to port
Image credits: anayastraveldiary
Royal Caribbean confirmed the details in a statement to People Magazine, reassuring the public that the man had not fallen overboard but rather landed in the ship’s built-in pool gutter: a recessed safety barrier located just beneath the glass edge of the Hideaway Pool.
Billed by Royal Caribbean as “the first suspended pool at sea,” the Hideaway Pool offers guests panoramic views of the ocean from an elevated perch.
Image credits: onlyinfloridaa
“A guest accidentally fell onto the pool gutter after reaching over to retrieve their sunglasses,” a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean said. “Our crew immediately attended to the guest and fortunately the guest did not experience any injuries.”
“He was confined to his room after the incident and not let out until we arrived back in Miami,” an eyewitness added.
Image credits: latinus_us\
While the cruise line declined to specify the ship’s location at the time of the incident, the Icon of the Seas is known for its Caribbean itineraries and boasts a maximum capacity of 7,600 guests across 20 decks.
While the incident ultimately amounted to nothing more than a dramatic scare with no injuries, both viewers and the cruise line initially feared the worst, especially given that the ship had already been the scene of a much darker incident just days earlier.
The incident occurred mere days after a man passed away after jumping overboard the Icon of the Seas
Image credits: thecruisespotter
On July 24, a crew member aboard the Icon of the Seas passed away after stabbing a colleague and then jumping overboard during a seven-night voyage from Port Miami to the Caribbean.
Image credits: neco_sparta
According to the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF), the violent altercation involved a 35-year-old male and a 28-year-old female crew member, both South African nationals.
The two were reportedly involved in a personal dispute when the man attacked the woman, stabbing her multiple times before running to the side of the ship and leaping into the water.
Image credits: latinus_us
A rescue boat was deployed soon after, and the man was recovered from the water approximately 30 minutes later, unresponsive.
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The female victim was treated by the onboard medical team and survived the attack. “She is now in stable condition,” the RBPF confirmed in a statement.
“We extend our condolences to the crew member’s family and loved ones,” the cruise line said in a statement, refusing to share further details in order to “respect their privacy.”
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