A hero dad jumped off a Disney Cruise ship when his daughter fell overboard Sunday — successfully grabbing onto her and treading water before the two were eventually pulled to safety.
The $900 million Disney Dream was returning to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, following a four-night cruise in the Bahamas when the emergency code “Mr. M.O.B.,” meaning man overboard, rang out over the ship’s intercom, USA Today reported.
"The Crew aboard the Disney Dream swiftly rescued two guests from the water," a Disney Cruise Line spokesperson said. "We commend our Crew Members for their exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship within minutes. We are committed to the safety and well-being of our guests, and this incident highlights the effectiveness of our safety protocols."
The girl reportedly fell overboard from the fourth deck, which features a walking track. It was not immediately clear what caused her to fall, but there is a tall plexiglass safety barrier on the ship, according to the report. The girl’s age was not immediately known.
Passengers aboard the ship shared their accounts of the miraculous save on social media, including footage of the rescue crews rushing out to save the pair.
Videos shared on TikTok showed passengers rushing to the vessel’s railings and gasping in shock after realizing a child had gone overboard.
As passengers reacted, rescue crews were quickly lowered into the ocean in a bright yellow boat before jetting off to the pair, who were treading in water for about 25 minutes, witnesses said.
Fellow passengers then began to clap and cheer as the rescue teams threw out a rope for the pair to grab onto and safely pulled them onto the jetty.
The footage then shows the small boat returning to the ship, with the dad and daughter appearing to be soaked and in complete shock.
Social media users also shared their accounts of the shocking save, including passenger Kevin Futura, who wrote on Facebook, “A girl fell overboard from the 4th deck & her dad went in after her ... Thankfully the DCL rescue team was on it immediately and both were saved!”
Another passenger, Dewayne Smith, wrote on Facebook, “A little girl fell overboard and her dad jumped overboard to try and save her. Man overboard calls went up immediately.”
“The Disney crew went into action ASAP. Lots of praying folks on this ship! Both the little girl and dad were both successfully rescued.”
Video shared by Smith showed the yellow rescue boat quickly bobbing through the waters to reach the father and daughter as horrifying onlookers watched from on top of the ship.
Cruise officials have not shared any additional information about the passengers who went overboard.
Similar to other major cruise operators, Disney ships feature overboard detection systems that alert the crew in the case of a passenger going overboard.
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