Man Falls Overboard During Headbangers Boat Cruise
Tragedy struck last night on what was supposed to be an insanely awesome weekend at sea, as reports are coming out that a 41-year-old man fell overboard late last night during the Headbangers Boat cruise while the ship was sailing near the Bahamas.
In the wake of the incident, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Cruise Line provided a statement to Rock Feed that outlines what they believe happened so far:
“On the early morning of Friday, Nov. 3, 2023, Norwegian Pearl was notified that a 41-year-old male guest went overboard while the ship was sailing near the Bahamas on its way to Miami. The authorities have been notified and the United States Coast Guard search and rescue operation is underway. The investigation is ongoing, and we will share updates as appropriate. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones during this difficult time.”
Details as to who the individual was and what exactly transpired are scarce at the moment. All we know right now is that the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship that was hosting Lamb of God‘s inaugural metal cruise attempted a search and rescue for several hours starting at 4 a.m. local time. As of 1:40 p.m. EST, eye witness accounts state that the captain announced to the passengers that they were suspending their search and heading back to Miami.
Other accounts reported online suggest that other ships in the area attempted to assist in the search but no body has been found as of yet.
MetalSucks and Metal Injection CEO Frank Godla is currently onboard and shared this personal account of what he experienced as things went down:
“Around 3:30 a.m. I was woken up by some really choppy waters and the boat making a hard u-turn that left me wondering what’s going on.
“Roughly 20 minutes later, the captain made us aware a passenger went overboard and a search and rescue mission has begun. They made several more announcements over the next hours, and around 6 a.m. informed everyone the program is canceled until 1 p.m.
“An hour ago, the captain had to make a very sad announcement to all onboard that after 9 hours of searching, they have no choice but to conclude the rescue mission and resume course to Miami. Everyone on board knows there was nothing easy about this, as the waters remained extremely choppy during the search. Our thoughts are with our fallen metal brother and his friends and family.
“Despite the sad news, the attendees remain understanding of the situation and taking things as they come. There’s a lot of confusion, and it’s still unclear how much of the programming will change today.
“I’d like to point out this does not reflect on Headbangers Boat, or Norwegian cruises in any way. In fact, after metal cruising for over a decade, Headbangers Boat has easily been my favorite experience yet. It’s a shame for this to happen to such a well behaved and gracious group of people celebrating the maiden voyage of what will be extreme metal’s best festival on the seas.”
We at MetalSucks wish everyone involved the best during this troubling time.
