A personal story of how our vacation ended in tragedy on the Carnival Conquest....September 25, 2011.

The unthinkable... unexplainable...why???


I was so excited about getting away! My husband David and I were ready on September 18, 2011 to board the Carnival Conquest for what was supposed to be a fun and relaxing 7 days in the Caribbean. The trip started on Sunday the 18th, we said our usual good byes to our loved ones and got on board. This time we reserved a balcony for the first time so we happily went up to view our 9th deck balcony and get situated. The trip started off great and the first 2 days were spent at sea. We did the usual things you do on board a ship.... watch some shows, play some games, swim, read... just relax! On Wednesday we arrived in Jamaica and spent the day there enjoying the beautiful Caribbean waters and snorkeling. On Thursday we arrived in Grand Cayman, another beautiful place... so far so good. On Friday, September 23rd we arrived at our final destination which was Cozumel. We took a taxi to a beach and spent the day there as well enjoying the beach and more snorkeling. Around 4:00PM we headed back to the ship. Back in our room we were relaxing and debating on whether or not to go to dinner at 6:00PM which was our appointed time. We decided to blow it off and eat later. Our ship began to set sail around 6:00PM so I decided to go to the balcony and watch as we sailed away. I didn't know how much this decision would change my life. As I stood on the balcony I was staring straight ahead as we started sailing away, then I turned my head to the right and what I saw next  has deeply affected me in a terrible way. I saw a man deliberately jump off the 11th deck straight into the ocean. I was completely shocked. My mind was not computing what I had just seen. Then I started screaming! David ran to the balcony and we saw the man come up out of the water but he was floating on his face. I ran to the phone and called downstairs and told them to stop the ship because a man had just jumped. I was completely distraught, my mind had just seen a horrible thing. I ran back to the balcony where I saw someone throw a buoy ring towards the man. It was almost sunset so I ran downstairs and outside to try to find him. The ship had already stopped and a Mexican boat nearby responded to us and began to search  but they were not where the man was. You can only imagine what's going on as alerts are being broadcast through the PA,  flares are being shot into the water, some people have no clue what's going on others are screaming, Etc. I found another person that was on my deck that also witnessed it & we both agreed that both ships were very far away from the man. I found a worker nearby & I told him that they were searching in the wrong areas and so they reported that immediately to the Captain and the ship turned around back towards the direction we were telling them but it was almost dark now & the visibility was about to be zero and that's what made me feel more anxiety was that time was running out. Well, I don't know how many boats ended up out there but it was pitch dark outside and after a short while we were cleared to leave. The thought of leaving that man behind was too much to bear.


The rest of the trip all I could think about was that man and the vision of him jumping. Why? I prayed and prayed and prayed the whole way home. I have thought a lot about that day, how short life is, how fragile it is, how we don't ever know what another human being is going through nor what another minute holds for us. Life is precious, it's meant to be lived with a purpose, God has a purpose for all of us and there is nothing too big that He can not handle. I pray for that family and for anyone else out there that is suffering with thoughts of suicide, depression or anything else. Please talk to someone, please know "This too shall pass...."  


One thing I learned, "Marisol, smile a little more, say hello a little more, slow down, be kinder... because you never know how that one smile, that one hello or that one extra act of kindness will impact another human being." 


Thanks for letting me share my grief.


Marisol Quijano-Moore
www.davidthelocator.com