Man banned for life after jumping from cruise ship balcony
A man has been banned from a cruise line for life after jumping from the 11th deck of the world's largest cruise ship.
Nick Naydev, 27, from Vancouver, Washington, posted a video to Instagram of him jumping from Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas while in the Bahamas on January 12.
Royal Caribbean condemned the stunt and said it was considering legal action. A spokesperson said: "This was stupid and reckless behavior, and he and his companions have been banned from ever sailing with us again. We are exploring legal action."
A post shared by Nick Naydev (@naydev91) on Jan 11, 2019 at 11:28am PST
Mr Naydev had a friend film the jump when the ship was docked in Nassau, Bahamas. Since posted, it has gathered over 160,000 views and more than 2,800 comments.
In the video, friends watch as he stands on the ledge of what appears to be a cabin balcony before jumping more than 100ft into the water below.
According to Mr Naydev’s Instagram comments, he was brought to shore by a small boat and he and his companions were kicked off the cruise ship and had to make their own way home from the Bahamas. Royal Caribbean offered no further comment on this.
He also wrote that he was still drunk from the previous night when he jumped.
Symphony of the Seas has 18 decks with a total height of 238ft and space for 5,518 passengers.
Earlier this month a 16-year old boy died after falling from the eighth-floor of Harmony of the Seas while trying to reach his bedroom from the balcony of the next-door cabin.
In December The Telegraph reported on a 20-year-old British cruise ship entertainer Arron Hough who fell overboard from Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas on Christmas day. The search for Mr Hough was suspended a few days later.
Last August, British air hostess Kay Longstaff was pulled from the Adriatic sea after plunging from Norwegian Cruise Line's ship Norwegian Star
Following the news , Andy Harmer, director of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA UK and Ireland) offered reassurance to passengers that cruising remains "one of the safest forms of travel".
"Cruise ships today are the safest that ever sailed, thanks to the rules, regulations and technological innovations that govern their design," he said.
"There are no known cases of someone acting responsibly who has accidentally fallen over the railing of a cruise ship."
