A waterspout was spotted today in Nassau Harbor in The Bahamas, twisting near cruise ships docked for the day to visit the island nation’s capital. The brief occurrence did not impact the ships, nor was any damage reported as the waterspout moved onto Paradise Island.
Waterspout in Nassau
The waterspout was recorded at approximately 1:30 p.m. local time on Thursday, June 2, 2022. The funnel was sucking up water and caught some small pieces of debris, which can be seen in a video posted to social media.
The funnel was spinning deep in Nassau Harbor, near the Sidney Poitier Bridge that connects the larger New Providence Island to the smaller Paradise Island to the north.
Observers reported that the waterspout did move onto Paradise Island, home to the famous Atlantis Casino resort, a popular attraction many cruise travelers visit not only for gambling, but also for its aquarium, water park, golf course, restaurants, beaches, and more.
No damage was noted from the waterspout, and while it did have the potential to turn into a tornado as it moved onto land, it did not appear to have the strength to do so and instead rapidly dissipated.
Cruise Ships in Nassau
Two cruise ships were docked in Nassau at the time of the waterspout. Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas arrived at 7 a.m., and was scheduled to depart at 5 p.m. The Oasis-class vessel is currently sailing a 7-night roundtrip Bahamas cruise from New York, and has also called at the cruise line’s private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Conquest was also docked at the time, having arrived for her port of call at 7 a.m. The ship’s distinctive “whale tail” funnel can be seen at the end of the video.
Carnival Conquest – which is now sailing her own itineraries again after having been dispatched to transport guests displaced from Carnival Freedom after the ship’s funnel fire – left Nassau at 4 p.m.
No injuries, damage, or disruptions related to the waterspout have been reported from either vessel.
More Weather Disruptions
This is the second waterspout reported near a cruise ship in recent days. On May 29, a waterspout was spotted dangerously close to Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Dream while the ship was visiting Castaway Cay.
No injuries or damage were reported as a result of that incident, though there was a brief halt for guests boarding or debarking the ship while lighting was in the immediate area, due to the use of metal gangways.
On March 22, 2022, Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Mariner was nearly hit by a tornado on the Mississippi River while the ship was leaving New Orleans. That storm caused significant damage on land, including one death and multiple injuries, but the ship was undamaged and no injuries were reported onboard.
Now, cruise lines are beginning to monitor the first tropical weather systems of the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season, with one potential tropical storm forecast to impact Florida in the next several days.
This could cause major delays or cancelations at Florida’s multiple homeports, particularly Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami. Tropical storm watches are already in effect for much of southern Florida, the Florida Keys, and western Cuba, and cruise ships in the storm’s track will be watching developments very closely.
Stay tuned to Cruise Hive for further developments on all severe weather impacting cruises and cruise ports.
