Odyssey of the Seas Passenger Rescued After Overboard Incident Near Zakynthos – October 2026

A 44-year-old passenger from El Salvador was rescued after spending nearly a day in the sea southwest of Zakynthos, Greece, following an overboard incident involving Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas.

Authorities were alerted early on 9 October 2026 that a passenger had entered the water about 72 nautical miles southwest of Zakynthos. The ship had been sailing from Mykonos towards Naples as part of a Mediterranean itinerary.

The Hellenic Coast Guard coordinated a large search involving two Coast Guard vessels, an Air Force helicopter and merchant ships operating in the area. In the early hours of October 10, the passenger was located about 70 nautical miles southwest of Zakynthos after the crew of a merchant vessel noticed the flashing light attached to her lifebelt.

She was recovered conscious by a Coast Guard rescue vessel and received first aid onboard. She was then taken to Katakolon in the western Peloponnese before being transferred to hospital in nearby Pyrgos for observation and further examinations.

The search required Odyssey of the Seas to remain in the area for several hours. Its scheduled call at Naples was cancelled while the vessel adjusted its programme to recover time before the voyage ended in Civitavecchia, near Rome.

The incident involved a Bahamas-flagged cruise ship later identified as Odyssey of the Seas. The vessel has capacity for about 4,200 passengers, but the reported event involved one passenger and does not establish that any other person was injured.

The available reporting did not establish how the passenger entered the water or how she came to have the lifebelt. The report did not identify a cause, any finding of fault or the passenger’s condition after she reached hospital. This record reflects the reported rescue response and voyage disruption, not a conclusion about the circumstances of the overboard incident.