In addition to fending off marine animals, a man who fell off a Carnival cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico and was under for more than 20 hours claimed he survived by eating bamboo.
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In an exclusive interview with Good Morning America, James Michael Grimes,28, said he fell overboard on Thanksgiving Eve after being on the Carnival Valor for one day. Before the fall, Grimes and his sister were last seen together at a restaurant where he won an air guitar contest and went to the bathroom. He stated the fall left him unconscious and remembers waking up in the water.
“The next thing I know… I regained consciousness. I was in the water with no boat in sight. I felt like I was given a chance right then… you’re alive for a reason… that [fall] could’ve killed me, but I felt like from that moment on, I was trying to stay positive.”
He remained positive throughout the experience and said his will to survive helped him tread the water through the night. Meanwhile, his sister reported him missing while the ship was heading to Cozumel, Mexico as the trip involved Grimes, his sister, and 18 relatives.
EXCLUSIVE: James Michael Grimes said he treaded water for nearly 20 hours after falling overboard overboard on a Carnival cruise ship on Thanksgiving Eve — battling jelly fish, rip currents and shark-infested waters before being airlifted by the U.S. Coast Guard.
@evapilgrim pic.twitter.com/DE4n6vdLhA
— Good Morning America (@GMA) December 2, 2022
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VIDEO: Coast Guard rescues 28-year-old man in southern Louisiana after he fell from Carnival Valor cruise ship; may have been in the water for 15 hours and now recovering at a hospital. @livenowfox
(Credit: DVIDS via Storyful) pic.twitter.com/JkFXhegFwm
— Josh Breslow (@JoshBreslowTV) November 27, 2022
Within the 20 hours, Grimes fought off jellyfish and an unknown animal with a fin. In order to survive, he ate a plank of bamboo and other objects that was floating around the water in order to store energy to afloat in the water.
“It came up on me really quick and I went under, and I could see it. And it wasn’t a shark, I don’t believe. But it had more like a flat mouth, and it came up and bumped one of my legs, and I kicked it with the other leg. It scared me, not knowing what it was, all I could see was a fin.”
On Thanksgiving Day, Grimes was spotted by a National Coast Guard tanker around 8:25 p.m., leading to his rescue. Additionally, the love for his family contributed to his will to survive against the odds.
“I wanted to see my family and I was dead set on making it out of there. I was never accepting that this is it, this is going to be the end of my life. I’m 28 years old. I’m too young. This is not going to be it. I always thought there’s a greater purpose for my life. Now, I know for sure I’m meant to do something on this Earth. And, you know, I don’t know. It was just the Lord was out there helping me, giving me strength and helping me stay afloat,”
Carnival said in a previous statement that their cruise ships have safety barriers to prevent passengers from falling off the vessels. However, Grimes said it is unclear how he fell overboard in the first place.