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Kayaker rescued near Port Canaveral after falling overboard during morning trip

A morning outing turned perilous when a kayaker's boat flooded—until a passing ship's crew sprang into action. Discover how teamwork averted disaster off Florida's coast.

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2 min read
The image shows a black and white drawing of a boat in the ocean, with a person on board. The boat...
The image shows a black and white drawing of a boat in the ocean, with a person on board. The boat is surrounded by choppy waves, and the sky is a deep blue. The person on the boat appears to be in distress, with their arms outstretched and their face contorted in fear.

Kayaker rescued near Port Canaveral after falling overboard during morning trip

Posted on: February 1, 2025, 11:16h.

Last updated on: February 1, 2025, 11:16h.

Ed Silverstein@casinoorgedsilvRead MoreLegalTribal Gaming

A man was rescued recently by crew members of a gambling ship after he fell out of a kayak off the coast of Florida.

Florida Today reported that crew from the Victory Casino Cruises gambling ship helped to save the man about two miles from land on Wednesday.

Victory 1 Captain Chris Megregian said the ship was on a morning gambling cruise, when they spotted the kayaker in the water.

We happened to see a kayaker fall overboard," Megregian was quoted by Florida Today. "The bridge team saw that he was in serious distress, and we went ahead and stopped the ship, and turned around to give this guy a hand."

Crew members boarded Victory 1's onboard rescue boat and proceeded to assist the man.

Kayak Filling With Water

The man in the kayak had fallen overboard. The kayak had begun filling with water.

Also taking part in the rescue was Canaveral Pilots Association Pilot Boat Captain Chris Bean.

Although he was tangled up in fishing gear, the victim had a life jacket on and a radio, and was able to call for help," harbor pilot Rich Grimison was quoted by Florida Today. "The pilot boat heard the calls relayed by another kayaker."

The incident took place near Port Canaveral, Fla.

Some 218 passengers were aboard the gambling ship at the time of the rescue.

The victim was placed in a boat and taken to Freddie Patrick Boat Ramp. His kayak and gear also were recovered and taken ashore.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission staff were on hand to assist at the port. The man declined to be checked out by EMTs. He appeared to be physically okay after the ordeal, witnesses said.

Disorienting for Victim

Falling in the water with all that equipment and being disoriented like that is a pretty uncomfortable feeling, and I think, in that immediate moment, he was probably very fearful," Megregian revealed. "And, then, luckily, we got to him quick enough to where there wasn't any further issues."

"This is something you would do for anybody, so it's literally another day's work for us," Megregian said.

Bean added that prior person-overboard training by the Pilots Association helped prepare him for the real-life rescue.

The victim wasn't identified in local news reports.

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