Man who jumped from cruise ship's 11th storey splash-landed in 'shark-infested waters'
I went outside and said, 'hey, what about if I just jump off this ship right now?'
Your support helps us to tell the story
As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.
Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.
Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election
Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
The man who jumped from the world’s biggest cruise ship has revealed he landed in shark-infested waters.
Nick Naydev, who jumped from the 11th storey of the Symphony of the Seas cruise ship in a viral Instagram stunt, made the claims in a new video.
Royal Caribbean, which operates the mega cruise liner, has banned him and his friends from cruising with the company again.
In the video, Naydev said that he spoke to Nassau locals who told him that “nobody dared swim” in the water he jumped into because the waters were shark-infested.
“I’m pretty lucky to be alive,” he said.
The 27-year-old American also explained why he did the “stupid and reckless” stunt, which his friends filmed for Instagram.
“I just woke up. We’d just got to Nassau, Bahamas. I looked out of my balcony and saw my friends taking pictures of the island,” said Naydev.
“I went outside and said ‘hey, what about if I just jump off this ship right now?’
“Everybody got excited, and they told me I should do it. The next thing you know I was jumping off the ship.”
Naydev said that his jump, from the 11th storey of the 1,120-foot-long ship, was about 120 feet high – or more than 30 metres.
When he landed in the water, he was picked up by a small boat and taken back to the dock where the ship was. Naydev was then led away by staff, who told him that he had to leave the ship “immediately”, alongside his companions, who were also asked to leave.
After the jump, Naydev admitted he was in a lot of pain.
“When I sobered up my back started hurting pretty bad. Could barely walk for three days.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments