A passenger who fell into the water had just minutes to live after he struggled for 15 hours.
James Grimes (28 years old) was waving a sock over his head to draw attention, in an attempt to get attention. He was eventually spotted by a carrier vessel.
He After a night out at the bar, he was traveling on Carnival’s Valor cruise ship with his family.
Grimes disappeared around 12 hours later, on Thanksgiving Day, when he was reported missing. He was found in the Gulf of Mexico, 12 hours later, after his ship had set sail from New Orleans.
US Coast Guard Aviation Survival Technician Richard Hoefle (pictured) said James Grimes was ‘at his limit’ after spending 15 hours stranded in waters in the Gulf of Mexico
‘Mr. Grimes had nothing. He had no energy. He He had nothing to offer. My best guess is that he had between a minute and 30 seconds left before we lost him completely,’ said Hoefle (pictured) , an Aviation Survival Technician 3rd Class
Grimes, who was missing from Carnival Valor (pictured March), was found in the Gulf of Mexico after being reported missing.
Richard Hoefle (US Coast Guard Aviation Survival Technician) explained that Grimes was “at his limit” when his four-man team arrived to save him.
He explained that people can break down and cry, others feel shocked, while some are confused and don’t understand what’s happening. Some people act out of joy because they are so happy not to be in the same situation. 4WWL.
‘Mr. Grimes had nothing. He had no energy. He He had nothing to offer. I think he had about a minute to 30 seconds before we lost him.
Dramatic footage captures Grimes trying to resist the rising waters, while the Coast Guard released footage of his rescue.
The man jumped onboard the boat as it was heading from New Orleans to Cozumel.
Amazing footage released by the US Coast Guard Friday night shows the man trying desperately to stay above the rising waves.
He The man disappears for seconds, but manages a miraculous recovery from the swirling water off Louisiana’s coast.
The US Coast Guard released footage of Grimes’ dramatic exit from the Gulf of Mexico after 15 hours. This shows Grimes struggling to keep his head above all the swelling waters.
He Although he disappears for a while, he manages to regain his balance above the turbulent waters off the Louisiana coast.
Rescuers were able to lift him from the water using a basket suspended by a helicopter. It was dark at 8.25pm.
The Coast Guard said he was suffering from hypothermia and dehydration.
After spotting the man struggling in the water, a tanker came to his aid.
Coast Guard officers are seen scrambling to reach him, almost in pitch black, as he’s being tossed about by the turbulent sea. The helicopter carefully lowers a basket, but he is unsuccessful in clinging to it multiple times before finally grabbing his hold.
He The patient is then dragged towards the helicopter, and finally, bundled into the chopper.
Teams searched an area in the Gulf the size Rhode Island looking for the missing man, before a vessel located him 20 miles south at Southwest Pass.
Grimes only had one pair of socks on him when he died.
Hoefle presented him with a rescue sling and added: “Once that was given to him, he collapsed into it. He I didn’t have energy. He I couldn’t speak to him. I was able get his name, and the cruise line he had lost.
“It’s difficult to keep your mind in a good place. And then throw that hail Mary in the last few minutes of waving, swinging socks around, or anything else to make him more visible to us. That’s survival. He Just had an extraordinary will to survive. He did what he needed to.
“This was an extraordinary opportunity and we were able to achieve it.” Hoefle said that they worked together and were able help someone.
Coast Guard officers struggle to reach him, almost in pitch black, as he’s tossed about by the stormy ocean.
The helicopter drops a basket and the pilot tries to grab it, but he eventually manages to grasp it.
He The patient is then dragged towards the helicopter, and then bundled into the chopper.
“That was a one-in-a million opportunity and we achieved it. Hoefle said that they worked together and were able help someone. He His team includes Lt. Katy Caraway (left), AMT2 Dalton Goetsch (right), and Lt. Travis Rhea (right). They are part of an Air Station New Orleans MH-60 Jayhawk crew. Rhea and Hoefle were also involved in the rescue.
He was flown by helicopter from New Orleans to take him back.
Whitney Gaines (a passenger on the ship) said that she sat with the family of the missing man at breakfast after he disappeared. The family was discussing why he didn’t return to his room the night before.
According to the Coast Guard the majority of cruise ship passengers who have fallen overboard are not found as it is difficult for them to be seen in the open ocean.
Officials claim that the New Orleans Coast Guard is the most active in water rescues and that this October and November were their busiest months.
Whitney Gaines, a passenger aboard the ship, said that she sat with the family of the missing man at breakfast one morning after he disappeared. They were discussing how he didn’t return to his bedroom that night.
Gaines stated that his family was talking about how he got in trouble for using non-designated smoking areas, as there is only one place where you can smoke.
Carnival’s official website says that vaping and smoking are not permitted on the decks of the ship or in the casino.
DailyMail.com was informed by the Coast Guard that Grimes had been rescued from water.
