The Coast Guard is investigating what sent a cruise ship employee overboard near the Southern California coast this weekend.
In a statement, the Coast Guard said it received notification Friday of a “good Samaritan who recovered a conscious individual from the water approximately 10 miles northeast of Avalon Harbor.”
Newport Beach lifeguards responded to the call and rescued a man they believed was an employee of the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship, according to the Coast Guard.
The cruise ship employee was in stable condition but was transported to a Santa Ana hospital for evaluation and medical treatment, the Coast Guard said.
The Coast Guard referred questions about details of the rescue operation to Newport Beach lifeguards, who did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
Newport Beach Lifeguard Battalion Chief Adam Yacenda told CBS Los Angeles on Sunday that lifeguards found the man “pretty much in the middle of the ocean.” He believed the cruise ship employee may have gone overboard nine hours before he was found.
The Ovation of the Seas is a 14-deck cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean. In service since 2026, it can accommodate more than 4,000 passengers and a crew of 1,550 people.
According to Royal Caribbean’s sailing schedule, the Ovation of the Seas was scheduled to return to Los Angeles on Friday after a four-night cruise with stops at Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico.
Two Royal Caribbean spokespersons did not respond to requests for comment Monday.
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