James Michael Grimes, 28, is speaking out for the first time after going overboard on a Carnival cruise ship after being missing for almost 20 hours.
Alone in solid darkness, and the light from the stars and the moon, Grimes decided in that moment he would make it out of the water.could've killed me, but I felt like from that moment on, I was trying to stay positive. And, you know when you're here, you're still alive for a reason. So, all you got to do now is swim and survive. I was hoping... they will start looking for me... they will find me eventually," Grimes said.
The ship was on its way to Cozumel, a Mexican island in the Caribbean, and was released by the Coast Guard to continue to its destination after the rescue was made. "We are beyond grateful that this case ended with a positive outcome," said Lt. Seth Gross, a Coast Guard Sector New Orleans search-and-rescue mission coordinator.
Carnival Valor had said in a statement to ABC News that it conducted a search-and-rescue operation after Grimes went missing.
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