UPDATE: The unnamed passenger who fell off a Atlantis gay cruise “intentionally went overboard,” reports The Sun UK.Representatives from Royal Caribbean International say a review of CCTV tapes indicate the man, who has been reported to be British, did not fall accidentally over the railing and was not pushed.
The 30-year-old passenger plunged from his balcony on deck 11 of luxury liner Allure of the Seas in waters off Mexico… The ship made multiple public announcements and began a complete search of the ship, in efforts to locate the guest. When the guest did not respond to the pages and was not found onboard, the captain alerted the local authorities of the situation. Our care team is providing support to the guest’s family and our thoughts and prayers are with them.”
Another passenger saw the man go overboard at 7:10am EST and raised the alarm. The Mexican navy and coastguard have taken over the search while the Allure continued on its journey.
The man’s family has been notified but his name has not been released to the press. Queerty will revisit the story as more information becomes available.
Photo: R. Scott Wallis, Royal Caribbean
Craig R
Well if this was suicide what an incredibly selfish way of doing it. Spoiling all the other passengers holiday.
It is like when people jump in front of trains and cause hundreds of innocent people distress and trouble.
Killing yourself is incredibly selfish as it is, causing so much hurt to families, friends and medical professionals, without dragging even more people into it.
christopher di spirito
Atlantis gay cruise says the man “intentionally went overboard”? What a buzz-kill for the hundreds of passengers who just wanted to enjoy their vacay.
homer
Keep him in your thoughts and prayers.
How sad when someone feels that is their only option.
Dave Lara
The pain we live as gay people in a cruel world sometimes makes us do the unthinkable. Have compassion. I love him, I wish I could hold him in my arms. I don’t even know him.
Dave
An old gay guy who knows loneliness.
Tony
If this guy reached a point of despair where taking his life seemed the only option then he deserves our compassion. When a person descends to such a black abyss, thinking about the consequences of his actions is often not even on the radar – he just wants the anguish to be over. Expecting him to take care of the needs of others (not ‘spoiling’ a vacation) when he probably feels no one cares about him is usually unrealistic. Yes, people do suicide as an angry ‘I’ll show you’ acting out, but they are no less desperate nor are they less deserving of our compassion. How lucky are the other passengers to experience only a brief intrusion into their enjoyment than to experience the ongoing agony of depression.
Corn&Porn
Guess it didn’t get better for this guy, despite all of the PSAs.
Depression is not a gay issue, so let’s stop treating it as such. Suicidal people are depressed and mentally unstable, and don’t reflect life’s ups and downs, only the downs.
Pocket Otter
@Craig R: I agree 100%. I was at a hotel in Miami in 2001 where a man jumped from his balcony and left a bright red splash on the pavement below. While I sympathized with the man’s problems, I and my companions have been plagued by nightmares and high-rise anxiety ever since.
Mike UK
strange because I’m just watching the news on the BBC here in the UK and they siad it was still being investigated! about the only thing you can believe that is written in the sun is the date!
Paul
What I can’t figure out is why 4 people “lol’d” at this??
Dennis
Suicidal people are dealing with mental illness, period. They are either temporarily, or for a longer period time, literally “out of their minds”. When someone is truly suicidal, they are in a ‘trance’ of sorts, largely unable to respond to or to accept rational logical thinking and/or maintain emotional balance. It is not impossible to ‘reach’ or to save someone who is agressively suicidal, but it is often very difficult, and represents a longstanding and complicated pattern of personal unhappiness and depression…some people are just mentally not well, it is what it is.
I agree that it’s upsetting and ‘selfish’ to inflict your suffering onto others by acting out in such a public way, but rational standards are NOT part of the suicide experience.
To be selfish on my part, I have a good friend on that cruise, he’s worked hard and deserved a fun vacation, free from this drama. I hope the poor, delusional man’s choice to end his own life didn’t have to much of a negative impact on the other people’s deserved vacations. Sorry, but they didn’t cause this man’s problems…with compassion and love to the people who really need it now, the people he’s left behind.
jj
@Craig R: Thanks for the lecture on selfishness. Obviously the individual was in such great mental distress that tragically he could not see another option besides ending the pain. That’s what suicidal depression is. Lecturing us on how selfish he was is in poor taste.
CBRad
If that cruise is as horrific as people have already reported on here, then I could see why it might push an already depressed person over the edge.
Seb
Gee, I can’t imagine why he would off himself? He had all the benefits of the commercialized gay male subculture at his fingertips. Drugs, alcohol, partying, shallow loveless sex. What more could anyone want?
Shannon1981
I cannot believe people are speaking ill of this poor disturbed man. Listen, I’ve been suicidal. You’re not thinking straight. All you want is for the pain to end, by any means necessary. Manytimes, delusions are involved. You can’t blame folks in that state. Please, just understand that it isn’t about selfishness. It is about ending it all…
Mark
I don’t know the person who appears to have completed suicide. I can empathise with his family and friends as a dear friend of mine completed suicide many years ago. I wish I knew what had pushed him to do it and I will live with that the rest of my life. My deepest sympathies to his family and friends.
TASTEY GOODIES
Suicide is NOT “lol”. Let’s be empathetic, please.
mike
He should have booked his trip on the Costa Concordia last month instead. That way he could have accomplished the same thing without taking the blame for ruining everyone else’s vacation.
Oh, ok.
None of you know the guy was depressed or “mentally disturbed”. How was it so easy to jump to that conclusion rather than thinking he may just have been drunk?!
People drink all night on cruises. Hell I don’t even drink, but the last cruise I went on I was a booze hound. They hand them out like candy, especially the first night for free.
More than likely the guy got drunk, decided he wanted to do something crazy, and jumped into the water not thinking at all.
I highly doubt he survived and I also very highly doubt it was a suicide. If you’re going to kill yourself you don’t decide to book a trip on a gay cruise. Think, people…
Price Waterhouse
Aren’t be going overboard with the speculation and conjecture? Let’s wait until the truth surfaces before sinking our teeth into another scandal. Whatever the outcome, this person certainly made a splash in the daily news. One would hope that it would not drown out the party atmosphere that is such a high watermark of these sorts of cruises.
Hyhybt
” If you’re going to kill yourself you don’t decide to book a trip on a gay cruise. Think, people…”
Why not? I can think of a few reasons someone might do it that way… and that’s not including the possibility he decided to do it after he was already on the cruise.
(And yes, those who clicked “LOL” should be ashamed of themselves. One vote, I could believe was accidental.)
GeoG
@Oh, ok.: WOW, another expert on suicide!!! Were you his therapist? Did you see him jump off while drunk. I don’t think so. Yet you can make such idiotic comments. Whether he jumped because he was drunk, high on drugs, or felt so depressed that his life was not living anymore does not diminish his personal tragedy and what his family and friends will have to go endure.
John
I just got off of The Allure with Atlantis. It is interesting to see how much different rumor has spread about this incident. I have done a fair bit of journalism over the years and I will add what I know, but be sure that I have NOT substantiated any of this. It just seems much more right anything I have read anywhere. Of what I heard on the ship this seems most true: The day of the incident I had lunch next to the man who reported the fall. I understand that only one person reported the fall and I know this was the name of guy because he was called to guest services shortly after the incident. He did not SEE the man fall overboard. He was smoking on his balcony early morning and he heard a splash. The smoking fellow was, I believe, on 14 and the man jumped from 11. He heard the splash and looked down and saw a man floating face up in the water. He then reported the incident immediately. The entire ship was then mustered to confirm that someone was missing and this took about 75 minutes. I then later heard from a person I know on staff that ship cameras show the man taking a “dive” off of his balcony. This fellow may have been distraught from something that happened on board or he may have had a grand suicide plan that began when he booked the cruise. We will never know unless the rumor about a suicide note are true. It is very sad, but the allure of The Allure may attract people with such delusions. Again, I cannot completely substantiate any of this, but it is what I learned on board. It was an especially sad day for the ships crew. The Captain’s voice seemed to be shaking during his announcements about the incident, and a crew person who assisted in our muster area teared up when he heard confirmation of the man overboard.
Steve
I also just got off the Allure as a passenger. First and foremost, this is a very sad situation, regardless of whether it was a suicide, a drunken misjudgement, drugs or any other possibility. I for one am deeply saddened that we lost a young person in such a horrific circumstance. I have to say, I believe the captain and crew responded immediately as they were notified. The ship stopped and rescue boats were deployed very quickly- and many of them as well as the Mexican coast guard all responded. I saw at least 10 boasts or more including another cruise ship, all searching. They also very rapidly had everyone report to their muster stations to be scanned in for accountability. They gathered several thousand people very fast and had everyone out of their rooms within 10-15 minutes tops. It was no joke and I believe they took responsible action. As for the cruise continuing to Cozumel within 2-3 hours, that is true, but we were right off the coast of Cozumel and would have arrived there anyway within 30 minutes or less. I am not sure why there is a comment for LOL or any other inappropriate comments. I accidentally hit this myself non knowing what it was for. I am definitely not laughing outloud. As for the guy putting a damper on things for fellow passengers, maybe there is some truth to this statement. However, if he did committ suicide I don’t think his plan was to screw up everyone’s trip. And that thought never crossed my mind. I think that is crazy to think that way. The passengers I talked to were very sad and concerned. I wish we had been filled in further on the situation, but we really were not. I for one hope that he took his life based on his own decision and that it was not drug induced or that he actually fell off the ship. Regardless, I wish to extend my sincere condolences to his family and hope that they know there was a great effort to find their son, brother, partner, friend, etc. And despite some of the inacuracies that have been printed, there were several thousand people hoping, wishing and praying to find that man that went overboard. After all, we all lost one of our family members that day as well.
Oh, ok.
@GeoG: If you can make idiotic comments such as deciding it’s fact that this was a suicide attempt, then I can assume alcohol was involved.
You don’t know this person from Adam, you don’t even know his name, yet you’re already sure it was a suicide. Get over yourself.
Frederick
I also just got home from the Atlantis Allure, and it was just a great cruise up to that point. Thousands of friendly people, no attitude, great vibe – no medical emergencies even. The comic Jim David gave a great stand up performance, “Chicago” was great and so were the other entertainers and parties. Then this happened and it came close to ruining it. Everyone was shocked and depressed. I spoke to some crew members who confirmed that the guy was a jumper – he didn’t fall or was pushed, he jumped. He was traveling alone. It looks like he planned it – but again it’s all speculation because no one knows. Just reminds us to protect each other, be nicer to each other, and support each other rather than be hateful.
Hyhybt
@Oh, ok.: So, then… you have an explanation *other* than suicide for someone who “intentionally went overboard?”
Oh, ok.
@Hyhybt: Yeah, some people are daredevils. Shocker, I know.
mh
perhaps he just had to much to drink – in an alcohol blackout state, suicide can just be spontaneous – something that might not even be considered when sober. for whatever reason, alcohol, drugs or depression, it was a tragedy.
db
@: I was on that cruise, and I’m not going to call someone selfish — far be it from me or anyone else to judge him or gripe about getting mustered for an hour. Your trip was only ruined if you allowed it to be so. A few years ago on an Atlantis cruise, an older alumni passed away in the gym. Death is a part of life, and we should all choose to celebrate the latter.
A few of my friends met him just the evening before and said he was wonderfully fun, and there on a room share program by himself. He seemed very happy, but anyone who’s taken psyc 101 knows that doesn’t necessarily mean a thing.
And as for those of you casting aspersions on someone you don’t know (or blaming alcohol or drugs based on nothing other than your own ignorance), seriously just STFU. You don’t know what happened, and the vast overwhelming majority of you weren’t even there. The only thing any of us knows (and will ever know) for sure is that this was a tragedy.
I will only add that Captain Zini and the RCCL crew handled the incident with incredible compassion and professionalism.
GeoG
@Oh, ok.: No, but you seem to know for a fact that he didn’t commit suicide. Go get a phsych degree and then tell all the depressed souls contemplating suicide who come to you for help that they are just ‘daredevils’. Idiotic indeed
FunMe
db very well said!
Tony-james
He was my a very close friend of mine we had shared many yrs together. He was the most gentail, honest kind loveing man iv had the pleasure of knowing. His friends and family are I’n bits so to the judgemental people on here. Just think how you might feel one day, you sitting at home and you find out that your ex partner/ best friend ended his life and the pain which his family and friends are going though. Just think before you say things on a world wide site and the impact it has on others. He deserved this holiday like everybody else he worked hard for yrs I’n what was his curent job,flying for emirates. Yes it was a selfish thing to do and I’m so angry at him for doing so. I was a light of passion to have I’n our lifes and a shame he had to end it this way. He didn’t take drugs because of his job so he wasn’t a meth head. He was the best friend/ lover any 1 had. Just have some respect and just wish him well on his travil’s. R.I.P Kenny my Irish prince. XXXXXXXXXX
Warry
Poor guy, he must have been really troubled to get to this level. so sad
Tom Swayzee
@Tony: well said
FunMe
The guy who killed has been identified as Kenneth John Gemmell from Bailieborough, Co Cavan, Ireland.
A photo of him was just posted in an Irish newspaper:
http://www.anglocelt.ie/news/roundup/articles/2012/02/08/4008875-birthday-cruise-for-bailieboro-man-ends-in-tragedy/
Prayers for healing to his family on the loss of their son.
Todd
Jus sayin, but lost several friends to suicide from “tina hangover”…crash following the high from an increasingly dangerous drug.