The Coast Guard called off the search for a Carnival cruise passenger who went overboard in the Gulf of Mexico

18.11.2023 - 17:29 / insider.com / Cruises

The US Coast Guard announced on Thursday that it called off its search for a man who went overboard from a Carnival Glory cruise in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this week.

In a press release, the Coast Guard said that Carnival Cruise Lines reported 28-year-old Tyler Barnett missing to the USCG around 12:40 p.m. on Monday. The Houma, Louisiana, resident went overboard about 30 miles off the coast of Southwest Pass, Louisiana, the statement continued.

According to its statement, the Coast Guard suspended its mission after searching 5,625 square miles, an area roughly the size of Connecticut.

The Coast Guard is searching an approximately 200-mile area for an unaccounted-for 28-year-old man from the Carnival Glory cruise ship.

Full press release here https://t.co/Q85HafNX1H pic.twitter.com/gFaz92U0Ax

According to the Coast Guard's statement, inclement weather made the search more difficult. Crews reportedly faced "8-foot to 12-foot seas, limited visibility, and gale force winds" while searching for Barnett.

"The Coast Guard launched multiple search and rescue assets as soon as we were notified of a missing passenger from the Carnival Glory," Lieutenant Commander Sean DiGeorge, the search and rescue mission coordinator, said in the statement.

"Our crews battled severe weather conditions for multiple days and made every effort to find Mr. Barnett. Suspending an active search is never a decision we make lightly, and we offer our most sincere condolences to Mr. Barnett's family and friends."

As Business Insider previously reported, surveillance footage viewed by the ship's security team appeared to show Barnett jumping from Deck 4 after midnight on Monday.

"He can be seen climbing on a lifeboat and jumping from there," a company spokesperson said in an update issued Tuesday.

Barnett's mother, Elisha Reid, told BI she doesn't believe he jumped, and after reviewing security footage, she thinks he slipped.

"They hit a wave and he went down off the lifeboat," she said. "Tyler was my only son, my firstborn. He was my everything in life! He was the air I breathed. He was the beat of my heart. I feel as if my heart no longer beats."

Barnett, who had two twin girls, isn't the first cruise passenger to go overboard this year.

Since January, at least nine other people have gone overboard. On Wednesday, just two days after Barnett's disappearance, the Coast Guard began its search for a 30-year-old who went overboard from an MSC cruise ship.

Earlier this month, a 41-year-old passenger fell overboard during the annual "Headbangers Boat," a heavy-metal-themed cruise to the Bahamas.