Key Aspects:
- A 78-year-old passenger was medically evacuated from Celebrity Solstice.
- The rescue took place about 58 miles offshore of Oahu by the US Coast Guard.
- The evacuation occurred during the final days of the ship’s transpacific repositioning voyage.
A transpacific cruise sailing toward Hawaii turned into an emergency operation when the US Coast Guard and US Navy airlifted a passenger from a cruise ship off the coast of Oahu.
The Coast Guard confirmed that a 78-year-old man was medevaced from Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Solstice in the wee hours of the night on Thursday, April 23, 2026.
The evacuation took place roughly 58 miles offshore after authorities determined the passenger required urgent medical care that could not be provided onboard.
Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu watchstanders first received the requests from Celebrity Solstice at approximately 3:19 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22. The vessel’s crew reported that a passenger was experiencing a serious undisclosed medical condition.
At the time of the call, the 122,000-gross-ton ship was about 276 miles southwest of Oahu. Officials recommended a medical evacuation by helicopter rather than waiting for the ship to reach port, roughly at 7 a.m. the following day.
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point launched to meet the ship as it sailed toward Hawaii. Once the aircraft was overhead, the crew performed a hoist operation, lowering rescue equipment to life the passenger from the ship.
A second aircraft, an MH-60 Seahawk helicopter from Navy Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 37, supported the mission.
Officials said the passenger was transported to Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu and is reported to be in stable condition.
“This successful outcome is a direct result of the professionalism and close inter agency cooperation we share with our partners,” said Lt. Taylor Gibbons, command duty officer, Coast Guard Oceania District.
Lt. Gibbons said the distance offshore and nighttime conditions complicated the rescue, “but the US Navy helped us minimize that risk and safely complete our mission.”
Rescue at the End of a 16-Night Cruise
The medical emergency onboard Celebrity Solstice happened near the end of a long repositioning cruise across the South Pacific.
The 2,852-passenger ship had departed Sydney on April 9, 2026, for a 16-night transpacific sailing scheduled to arrive in Honolulu on April 23 for an overnight final call.
The itinerary included multiple island stops across the South Pacific before the ship crossed the Pacific toward Hawaii. Ports of call included Lifou in New Caledonia, Lautoka and Suva in Fiji, Apia in Samoa, and Pago Pago in American Samoa.
Medical evacuations from cruise ships take place when health situations require more onboard medical care than onboard doctors can provide.
Celebrity Cruises has had its share of medevacs, including a rescue of a 65-year-old passenger from Celebrity Apex in December 2025.
The ship was sailing about 24 miles north of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, when a Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter performed the hoist rescue and transported the passenger to San Juan for treatment.
A similar incident took place in December 2024 aboard the same ship when a 64-year-old guests needed a Coast Guard airlift 130 miles northwest of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.
No further details about the passenger aboard Celebrity Solstice have been released. The ship is now sailing a 9-night cruise to transition to Vancouver for a season in Alaska. The vessel will arrive on May 3, 2026.
