Cruise Passenger's Unexpected Detour: 10 Hours in Ocean

A woman on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship got way more exposure to the ocean than she intended, but lived to tell the tale. The 46-year-old British passenger fell off the back of the Norwegian Star ship about 60 miles off the coast of Croatia around midnight Saturday, reports the Guardian. The woman, identified only as Kay, managed to stay afloat for 10 hours in the Adriatic Sea, long enough to be rescued by a Croatian cruise ship that scrambled into action upon getting a coast guard alert, per Sky News.

“I am very lucky to be alive," the smiling woman told a Croatian news channel before leaving in an ambulance. "These wonderful guys rescued me." The woman said she "was sitting at the back of the deck," but it's not clear yet exactly how she fell in. She was listed in stable condition and expected to be fine. Norwegian has launched an investigation into the incident. The rescue comes just weeks after a man fell off a different ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line, and he managed to survive nearly a full day in the water before being rescued. (More cruise ships stories.)