Thomas Gigler, a 56-year-old man traveling with his wife and three children, jumped overboard from the Carnival Panorama late on the night of September 18, 2026. The incident occurred while the ship was sailing from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, back to Long Beach, California.
Gigler’s family reported him missing around 10:30 a.m. local time on September 19, requesting guest services to page him. The ship made multiple public announcements about the missing passenger by approximately 11:00 a.m. that day. Despite the early reports, the Carnival Panorama only began an onboard search and rescue operation near 2:00 p.m., over three hours after
the family first raised concerns.
After an unsuccessful search by the ship, which ended when Carnival Panorama resumed course to Long Beach around 5:00 p.m. on September 19, external search efforts intensified. The U.S. Coast Guard, Mexican Navy, and local commercial vessels coordinated a search covering 1,707 square miles of ocean between Mexico and California. The Coast Guard received the initial report of the missing individual at 1:30 p.m. on September 19 and noted Gigler was last seen approximately at 11:30 p.m. the previous night.
After approximately 41 hours of search operations with no sign of Gigler, the U.S. Coast
Guard suspended the search on September 22, presuming the man deceased. Jessica Davila, chief of incident management for the Coast Guard’s southwest district, stated, “Decisions to suspend search operations are never easy and are made with careful consideration of all available information. Our hearts are with those impacted by his loss.”
The Carnival Panorama route began with departure from Long Beach on September 13, 2026, sailing to Puerto Vallarta. The overboard incident occurred shortly before the scheduled return arrival in Long Beach. During the search, passengers experienced disruptions, including instructions to return to cabins for headcounts and lockdown orders that
were later lifted when the captain confirmed a person had gone overboard. Passenger Misty Hernandez said hearing the missing man’s name repeated over the intercom multiple times signaled the seriousness of the situation and that the family was on an anniversary trip.
Carnival Cruise Line confirmed the overboard incident and stated the company is supporting the Gigler family. The cruise line reviewed CCTV footage and promptly notified the U.S. and Mexican Coast Guards. Carnival’s official statement read, “Carnival Cruise Line confirmed Saturday that a male guest aboard Carnival Panorama jumped overboard while the ship was sailing from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
to Long Beach, California. When notified of a missing guest, the ship’s team initiated search and investigation procedures, including reviewing CCTV footage and notifying both the U.S. and Mexico Coast Guards.”
Under the 2010 Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act, cruise ships sailing to or from U.S. ports must install automatic man overboard detection systems. Carnival Cruise Line’s fleet, including Carnival Panorama, lacks these systems, relying instead on delayed manual detection. This contributed to the delay in initiating the onboard search more than three hours after the family first reported Gigler missing.
Searches for persons who fall overboard from cruise
ships rarely succeed beyond the first few hours. Coast Guard operations involved in this case covered an extensive area at a significant cost to U.S. taxpayers, as cruise lines like Carnival do not reimburse federal agencies for these expenses. The Carnival Panorama incident marks the 441st cruise ship or ferry overboard case documented since 2000.
