Father dives off cruise ship to rescue 5-year-old daughter, treads water for 20 minutes before help arrives

A father dove into the sea off of a Disney cruise ship to rescue his daughter after she fell overboard, then treaded water for around 20 minutes before both were able to be pulled to safety.

Video showed the father and 5-year-old daughter in the water as a yellow lifeboat was dropped off the cruise ship to save them both as the Disney Dream was en route to the Bahamas from Florida on Sunday. An alert sounded, letting the crew know that there was a man overboard.

One person from the same cruise posted to Facebook, "On the last day of our Dream voyage and it is an at Sea Day. A girl fell overboard from the 4th deck & her dad went in after her. Right after the incident we heard on the loud speaker MOB Port side!! Thankfully the DCL rescue team was on it immediately and both were saved!"

Other vacation-goers watched as the yellow lifeboat was able to bring the father and daughter to safety. According to the New York Post, the father had been treading water for around 20 minutes as he held her in his arms before help arrived.

Those who were on the ship recounted the experience on social media.

“We are on the Disney Dream at sea today and just witnessed a first on a cruise. A little girl fell overboard and her dad jumped overboard to try to 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," user Dewayne Smith said. 

One user said that the girl had fallen from the 4th deck on the ship, which has a walking and running track, The Street reported. The father appeared to be with the child when she fell, as he dove into the water right after her.  

Some on social media thought that the ship had been docked in order to make the rescue, however, the ship was in the open ocean. “Not docked! Halfway between Bahamas and Ft. Lauderdale! Fully moving! Heard in our rooms 'Mr. M.O.B port side.' Ran to the 11th deck to see them throwing life preservers. 10ish minutes later a lifeboat drops and they find the people within 3-5 minutes of that. The man treaded water for at least 20 minutes,” another user said on social media. 

Disney Cruise Line said that its crew “swiftly rescued two guests from the water," with the yellow lifeboat, which appeared on video to have several crew members on board for the rescue operation. 

“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,” a spokesman for the cruise told reporters. “We are committed to the safety and well-being of our guests, and this incident highlights the effectiveness of our safety protocols.”