A cruise passenger was banned for life after he was recorded jumping off the side of a Royal Caribbean ship.
Nick Naydev, a recent passenger on Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas, was banned after leaping from a height of about 100 feet into the water below while the ship was docked in Nassau, Bahamas.
“This was stupid and reckless behavior and he and his companions have been banned from ever sailing with us again,” a Royal Caribbean spokesman told Fox.
Naydev, of Vancouver, Washington, posted the video of his daring dive on social media on Jan. 11, showing him leaping from the 11th floor of the Symphony of the Seas. His friends are seen helping him before his jump.
Naydev told the news outlet that he “did not think this through” before jumping from the ship.
“When the security caught up with me they told me and my friends that we needed to pack our bags and leave the ship immediately and were not welcome on any of their cruise ships again,” he added.
Royal Caribbean staffers also called the police, but they didn’t press charges.
“Local police in Nassau, Bahamas were called in to pick us up from the ship, but fortunately the police thought the whole situation was amusing and did not proceed to file any legal actions,” Naydev said.
He estimated that the drop was over 100 feet.
“I just hope I don’t inspire anyone to try this because I don’t want to feel responsible for any injuries,” he also told KOIN.
Survival Chance?
Jumping from such a height into the water can be fatal in many instances.“My feet were actually fine. It was my neck and tailbone that hurt,” he told Yahoo News.
He said that the fall left him in pain, but he’s now fine.
“Could barely walk for 3 days and could barely sleep from the pain. I’m good now,” Naydev said.
“I once knew a young man named Kevin Hines who survived a ... leap off the Golden Gate Bridge. His doctors believe he survived because he was in superb physical condition. He was able to fight his way to the surface of the water and then even attempted to swim to the bridge. He was finally rescued by a Coast Guard boat,” he added.