# Woman falls off cruise ship, treads water for 10 hours, and is found & rescued **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 20, 2018, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-falls-off-cruise-ship-treads-water-for-10-hours-and-is-found-rescued/819923 "2018-08-20T17:05:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-falls-off-cruise-ship-treads-water-for-10-hours-and-is-found-rescued/819923/1 "2018-08-20T17:05:34Z")
Kay Longstaff is lucky to be alive. She sang songs while treading water off of Croatia’s Adriatic coast. > **[Woman treaded water for 10 hours after falling from ship, sang to stay alive...](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/08/20/uk-cruise-ship-passenger-found-alive-after-treading-water-10-hours/1040334002/)** > > A 46-year-old British woman, Kay Longstaff, fell off of a Norwegian Cruise Line ship around midnight Saturday, plunging into the Adriatic Sea. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-falls-off-cruise-ship-treads-water-for-10-hours-and-is-found-rescued/819923/2 "2018-08-20T17:20:43Z")
Drunk enough to fall off, but sober enough to keep her shit together and stay afloat for 10 hours. That’s a pretty narrow window of inebriation for most people. ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-falls-off-cruise-ship-treads-water-for-10-hours-and-is-found-rescued/819923/3 "2018-08-20T17:34:00Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Drunk enough to fall off, but sober enough to keep her shit together and stay afloat for 10 hours. That’s a pretty narrow window of inebriation for most people. [It’s happened before](https://www.cnn.com/2015/01/13/us/man-overboard-cruise-rescue/index.html). Only five hours that time, though. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-falls-off-cruise-ship-treads-water-for-10-hours-and-is-found-rescued/819923/4 "2018-08-20T19:40:58Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Drunk enough to fall off, but sober enough to keep her shit together and stay afloat for 10 hours. That’s a pretty narrow window of inebriation for most people. Way too narrow. I’m not buying that she fell. Either was pushed or decided to jump ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-falls-off-cruise-ship-treads-water-for-10-hours-and-is-found-rescued/819923/5 "2018-08-20T19:44:51Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Drunk enough to fall off, but sober enough to keep her shit together and stay afloat for 10 hours. That’s a pretty narrow window of inebriation for most people. I just came back from a cruise in that very area, and I was quite surprised at how well I floated in that area- once I was on my back, I didn’t have to do anything except stay still to float. Moreso than other oceans I’ve been in. I’m actually more surprised that she didn’t get hypothermia- even in the middle of the day, that water was colder than I expected. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-falls-off-cruise-ship-treads-water-for-10-hours-and-is-found-rescued/819923/6 "2018-08-20T19:52:58Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > Way too narrow. I’m not buying that she fell. Either was pushed or decided to jump I’m also skeptical. The two cruise ships I’ve been on had quite high railings, it would be a real feat to accidentally go overboard. I’m surprised she didn’t succumb to hypothermia. Is the Adriatic a really warm ocean? ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-falls-off-cruise-ship-treads-water-for-10-hours-and-is-found-rescued/819923/7 "2018-08-20T20:03:15Z")
It’s possible she jumped or was pushed. She also could have been shit-faced and sitting on the railing, and fell. The details are sketchy and will hopefully be fleshed out in the coming days. ---
**Author:** ![polar\_bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@polar\_bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/polar_bear)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-falls-off-cruise-ship-treads-water-for-10-hours-and-is-found-rescued/819923/8 "2018-08-20T20:30:39Z")
Europe has been really warm this summer. It seems the sea was around 28/29 degrees centigrade at the time. Ik was in the area at the time and heard a few radio reports about the high sea and river temperatures… all above 25 degrees, quite unusual according to said reports. Verstuurd vanaf mijn Moto G (4) met Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-falls-off-cruise-ship-treads-water-for-10-hours-and-is-found-rescued/819923/9 "2018-08-20T20:40:55Z")
I dunno if we can trust reports about the comfortable-ness of water temperatures from a polar bear… ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-falls-off-cruise-ship-treads-water-for-10-hours-and-is-found-rescued/819923/10 "2018-08-20T20:53:25Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > It’s possible she jumped or was pushed. She also could have been shit-faced and sitting on the railing, and fell. The details are sketchy and will hopefully be fleshed out in the coming days. Does someone THAT shit-faced then successfully tread water and stay awake for 10 hours? ---
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-falls-off-cruise-ship-treads-water-for-10-hours-and-is-found-rescued/819923/11 "2018-08-20T21:01:44Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I dunno if we can trust reports about the comfortable-ness of water temperatures from a polar bear… You made me snort my tea. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-falls-off-cruise-ship-treads-water-for-10-hours-and-is-found-rescued/819923/12 "2018-08-20T21:02:45Z")
She worked as cabin crew for an airline so she would have had some water survival training no doubt. At the very least she will have been trained to understand what a dangerous situation she was in and that will have kicked in and sobered her up quickly. What amazes me is how she managed to climb onto the coast guard’s vessel unassisted discharged overnight. If that is all true she is one tough cookie. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-falls-off-cruise-ship-treads-water-for-10-hours-and-is-found-rescued/819923/13 "2018-08-20T21:04:24Z")
Sorry, for the typo. Penultimate sentence should end “and get discharged from hospital after one night.” ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-falls-off-cruise-ship-treads-water-for-10-hours-and-is-found-rescued/819923/14 "2018-08-20T21:13:53Z")
I was on a ferry once where a similar thing happened - only not with such a good end result. The guy’s friends alerted crew straight away and we spent an hour circling trying to find him but no luck - dude must have sunk like a stone. This was on the crossing to Ireland in the middle of December so everyone’s rugged up and in their heavy shoes… So, yeah. Tough woman. But also very very fortunate. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-falls-off-cruise-ship-treads-water-for-10-hours-and-is-found-rescued/819923/15 "2018-08-20T21:40:31Z")
10 hours alone in the Adriatic? And they just let her go without a second thought? She should have been quarantined for at least a month. There’s weresharks in those waters. Surviving an attack would explain her unanticipated appearance of well-being. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-falls-off-cruise-ship-treads-water-for-10-hours-and-is-found-rescued/819923/16 "2018-08-20T21:50:13Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > 10 hours alone in the Adriatic? And they just let her go without a second thought? She should have been quarantined for at least a month. There’s weresharks in those waters. Surviving an attack would explain her unanticipated appearance of well-being. We were aware that there were sharks there. But we were less well aware that the sharks that were there were weresharks. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-falls-off-cruise-ship-treads-water-for-10-hours-and-is-found-rescued/819923/17 "2018-08-20T22:14:08Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > We were aware that there were sharks there. But we were less well aware that the sharks that were there were weresharks. Tortured alliteration. Ooohhhh…you’ve done this before! ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-falls-off-cruise-ship-treads-water-for-10-hours-and-is-found-rescued/819923/18 "2018-08-20T22:20:22Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > We were aware that there were sharks there. But we were less well aware that the sharks that were there were weresharks. Bet you can’t say that five times fast. Especially once the full moon rises… ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-falls-off-cruise-ship-treads-water-for-10-hours-and-is-found-rescued/819923/19 "2018-08-20T22:29:29Z")
Looks like someone might were out their welcome. If they were not careful, as it were. Shark. (Though hopefully none the wurst for were) ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2018, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-falls-off-cruise-ship-treads-water-for-10-hours-and-is-found-rescued/819923/20 "2018-08-20T22:30:57Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Drunk enough to fall off, Can you cite a report that says she was not sober? The link in the OP makes no mention of drunkenness? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-falls-off-cruise-ship-treads-water-for-10-hours-and-is-found-rescued/819923.md?page=2)