Another Missing Person On A Cruise Ship

[Janice]

I have taken several cruises and wondered why more people haven't fallen overboard. People stay up all night drinking and partying and hanging on the guardrails on the decks would seem very scary for me. This may not have happened to him in his case.

Coast Guard hunts for missing cruise ship passenger

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- The U.S. Coast Guard began searching Tuesday for a 21-year-old man believed to have fallen from a cruise ship sailing from Port Canaveral, Florida, to the Bahamas, a Coast Guard spokesman said.

Daniel Dipiero of Augusta, Ohio, was reported missing Monday morning from the Royal Caribbean International's Mariner of the Seas cruise liner, but ship officials did not alert the Coast Guard until eight hours later, the Coast Guard said.

"They were notified at 11 yesterday morning; they sent an e-mail to us that we received at 7 o'clock last night," Coast Guard Petty Officer Ryan Doss said.

The company did not immediately respond to calls asking about the delay in notification. In a written statement, it said "a variety of onboard announcements and searches were carried out Monday."

Lightning and stormy weather forced the Coast Guard to delay the search until 9 a.m. Tuesday when a C-130 plane began scouring the seas from Grand Bahama to Stirrup Cay.

Dipiero was traveling in a party of seven aboard the ship, Doss said.

In Royal Caribbean's statement, communications director Michael Sheehan said the passenger was last seen about midnight Sunday when he told his companions he was going to bed in the inside stateroom they were sharing.

Coast Guard Petty Officer James Judge said a motion-activated camera on the bow showed Dipiero leaning near a railing at 2:15 a.m. The ship was eight to 10 miles (12 to 16 kilometers) west of Grand Bahama at that time.

"The young man did not spend the night in [the group's] stateroom and was reported missing at approximately 11 a.m. Monday," the cruise liner's statement said. "Royal Caribbean notified the U.S. and Bahamian Coast Guards, the FBI and the young man's family."

[southerngale]

I've been following this on Fox News. I was just on a Royal Caribbean ship a little over a week ago. You certainly can't blame them for people hanging over the edge. You'd have to climb some as the railings are pretty high. I leaned over and looked down and wasn't the least bit scared of falling. You have to wonder how/why someone would put themselves in danger like that. It's very sad.

[Janice]

Yes, Southern, you are right. And, I think people forget the cruise ships probably has the very lowest deaths than any other form of transportation. And this is really good considering they have more people onboard than any other at one time.

I just know if I had too much to drink, I would be lucky to see the rail at all...

[greeng13]

you MIGHT be seeing the rail after too much to drink.

[george_r_1961]

Well we might never know why this man fell over unless his body is found and toxicology tests are done. From what ive heard there is little done to curb heavy drinking onboard since most of the time the ships are in international waters. Both passengers and crew need to use a little common sense out there.

[O Town]

Maybe he wanted to go overboard? You do have to climb a bit, it would not be so easy to just fall over.