FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ A 32-year-old man was seen jumping from a cabin balcony off the cruise ship Carnival Liberty early Friday when the vessel was about 10 miles northwest of the Berry Islands, in the Bahamas, officials said.
Reco Scott of Decatur, Ga., went overboard about 4:53 a.m., the cruise line said.
The Carnival Liberty turned around, began its own search and notified the U.S. Coast Guard, which sent a helicopter and the cutter Charles David Jr. to look for him in the area, the cruise line and Coast Guard said.
Early Friday afternoon, the Coast Guard released the Liberty to resume course for Nassau, a Carnival Cruise Lines spokeswoman said.
The search went on Friday and was still being done in the Caribbean Sea at 3 p.m., Petty Officer Eric Woodall said.
"We'll continue to search as long as we think we can find him alive," Woodall said.
Liberty departed Port Canaveral on Thursday and has one scheduled port of call, to Nassau. It is to arrive there Friday and stay in that port overnight.
On Saturday it is scheduled to sail back toward Port Canaveral and arrive there Sunday.
