Big Splash Sparks Overboard Scare on Carnival Radiance

On November 20, 2025, the alarm was sounded onboard Carnival Radiance due to a suspected man overboard while sailing off the coast of Ensenada, Mexico.

Passengers of the Carnival ship reported hearing a big splash, which some thought was made from another guest who had allegedly fallen into the Pacific Ocean while looking for dolphins.

“Onboard witnesses report the passenger was watching dolphins near the back of the boat when they went overboard,” one cruise fan shared.

In reality, it wasn’t actually a human that made the splash – but it took a little while for the crew members to realize this.

In the meantime, the approximately 1,108 crew members launched an urgent search and rescue operation.

The 101,509-gross ton vessel circled back to where the splash was seen to search for the possible victim. This is confirmed by cruise ship tracking data.

“It’s been an exciting day on the Carnival Radiance today. First there was a man overboard announcement. The ship turned around and we’ve been slowly cruising back over the area,” a current passenger said.

“There’s a person overboard on Carnival cruise (Radiance) coming back from Ensenada to Long Beach. They have circled back to look for the person,” another cruiser verified.

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However, this victim was nonexistent as nobody even fell overboard in the first place.

A Scary False Alarm

As is the best case scenario in a man overboard incident, the scary situation was determined to be a false alarm and the Destiny-class ship is back to cruising normally.

Especially as the cruise line is still reeling following the recent death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner onboard Carnival Horizon, another tragedy at sea would be truly horrific.

During the search and rescue efforts, crew members sent guests to their cruise cabins, as is standard protocol.

The guests were confined to their staterooms for more than 40 minutes while designated crew members checked to make sure that every passenger and crew member was accounted for, which thankfully was the case here.

“The Carnival Radiance crew responded to a potential overboard alert off the coast north of Ensenada, Mexico when some guests reported hearing a splash in the water. The ship returned to the area where there was a potential sighting of an individual to conduct a rescue operation,” a Carnival spokesperson told Cruise Hive in a statement.

“In the meantime, the crew completed a full guest and crew headcount as is our standard safety protocol and all guests and crew have been accounted for,” they continued.

More likely than not, the splash that worried the guests was actually an accidental prank from a whale.

Mexico’s coast, and especially the Baja Peninsula where Ensenada is located, is known as a major whale watching destination.

Gray whales and humpbacks are commonly spotted during the winter months, with other species like blue whales and sperm whales occasionally making appearances.

“The splash could have very well been a whale but there is no way to confirm that. In any case, all on board are accounted for and the ship will resume its itinerary,” the spokesperson concluded.

And even though this situation ended as a false alarm, it’s always better to air on the side of caution and say something if you see (or hear) something.

In an actual emergency, promptly speaking up could save a life, and guests who make reports in good faith will never be penalized.

Plus, all’s well that ends well. There is no impact to the 4-night Baja-bound sailing’s itinerary, which embarked in Long Beach, California, on November 17, 2025.

The 2,984-guest ship has already completed both of her scheduled port calls and is expected to return to Long Beach on time for disembarkation on November 21.