Cruise Ship Passenger Jumps Overboard, Floats In Ocean For 1 Hour Before Rescue [Watch]

Search teams rescued a man from the waters of the Indian Ocean after he jumped from a cruise ship and remained floating for almost an hour. The incident happened Tuesday on New Year's Eve.

The man who has yet to be identified was traveling on board the MSC Orchestra sailing from South Africa to Mauritius. According to a report by Daily Mail, search teams scrambled the ocean off the coast of Madagascar and sighted him. They finally brought him to the ship where his family was waiting.

Final moments of the rescue captured

The final moments of the rescue efforts were captured by Gerhardt Jooste, a financial lawyer from South Africa from the upper deck of the ship.

Jooste congratulated the captain and crew and later posted the video on Facebook.

After bringing him to the ship, the passenger was taken to the cruise ship’s medical center for further care.

Ross Volk, managing director of MSC Cruises, in a statement, said the man suffered only minor injuries and he jumped overboard on his own. He added that the cruise line will extend support to his family.

Volk said the ship’s security protocols were immediately activated following the incident.

“A team of crew members was deployed to conduct the search and rescue operation and within less than one hour, MSC Orchestra’s rescue team managed to successfully salvage the passenger,” he explained.

The MSC Orchestra set sail from Durban on December 28 and was en route to Mauritius. It is scheduled to be back in South Africa on January 8, after a halt at Reunion Island.

The Orchestra docked in Mauritius on New Year's Day.

The MSC cruise ship can carry 3,200 passengers. It houses a spa, swimming pools, a jogging track, theatre, and a casino. The cruise ship operators said the man’s health is being monitored and he appeared to be stable.

A brand new cruise ship of MSC Cruises was also in the news Monday when one of the world’s largest cruise ship MSC Grandiosa had a light collision when it struck the dock Palermo port in Italy.