Ship Crewman Mysteriously Leaps Into Sea

A crewman on a San Pedro-bound cruise ship jumped overboard Thursday morning soon after the ship left Ensenada and remains missing, San Diego Coast Guard officials said.

The cruise ship Azure Seas was about 15 miles southwest of Ensenada and 2 1/2 miles off Cabo Punta Banda about 10 a.m. when someone saw a man jump about 40 to 50 feet into the water, Coast Guard Lt. Mike Sels said.

The name of the crewman, a 32-year-old Filipino national, was being withheld, Sels said.

The ship’s captain told Coast Guard officials that a witness threw a life ring into the water and others contacted ship officials, and the ship circled back to search, Sels said.

“Some people off the boat reported that they saw the guy trying to swim toward” the life ring, Sels said.

Four San Diego Coast Guard helicopters searched Thursday afternoon and evening but were unsuccessful, Sels said, adding that the search was suspended about 8 p.m., pending developments.

The ship’s captain said the crew member was a man who “desperately wanted to get off the boat” and who had “all of his bags packed,” Sels said. There was no reason given as to why the man felt that way.

Admiral Cruises, which operates Azure Seas, could not be reached for comment. Azure Seas is registered in Panama, but it primarily operates out of Los Angeles and San Diego, and down to the port cities of Baja California, Sels said.