Footage shows the dramatic moment a man was rescued from the sea, up to 15 hours after he fell off a cruise ship while drinking with his sister.
The 28-year-old was reported missing at midday on Thursday from the Carnival Valor, as it headed from New Orleans to Cozumel, Mexico.
According to Carnival Cruise Line, the man was with his sister at a bar on the ship in the evening of Wednesday and went to use the loo but never returned. His sister reported him missing the next day.
A massive search of the ship was launched and Coast Guard were also alerted.
A cargo ship spotted a person in the water about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Southwest Pass, Louisiana, and the mouth of the Mississippi River. When a helicopter pulled him out at around 8.25pm on Thanksgiving, the man confirmed he was the missing cruise ship passenger.
The footage, released by the United States Coast Guard, shows the moment he was found.
Through a thermal camera, the man can be seen desperately trying to be spotted with the effort of each wave causing him to sink into the water.
Then in video taken from the rescue helecopter, a member of the Coast Guard is lowered into the sea to rescue the man who is put onto a stretcher and raised up.
Coast Guard Lt. Seth Gross said: “He appeared to be suffering from mild hypothermia, shock, dehydration, but his condition overall appeared stable."
Gross called the rescue “a miracle especially on a holiday like Thanksgiving.”
In a statement, Carnival said: “We greatly appreciate the efforts of all, most especially the U.S. Coast Guard and the mariner who spotted the guest in the water.”
Due to confusion about which time zone the man was in when he went overboard, it is unclear how long exactly he was in the water but coast guard estimated it could have been as long as 15 hours.
