Sadly, the search has now ended for a 76-year-old male passenger who went overboard from Marella Explorer 2 on Thursday, November 27, 2025, without the individual being located.

The Salvamento Maritimo (Spanish Coast Guard) has ended the active search for the missing individual, though notices are still being provided to ships and boaters in the region to continue the lookout as appropriate.

“Active search has ended,” the Salvamento Maritimo confirmed to Cruise Hive. “From now on any time our units move for other emergencies and during scheduled drills, they still search. Marine notices are also being issued.“

The incident happened just before 10 a.m. on Thursday. Guests onboard Marella Explorer 2 witnessed the overboard and heard the emergency announcement, noting the ship’s immediate return to the search area until released by authorities.

Initially, the intense search on Thursday and Friday included two helicopters, a search-and-rescue aircraft, and a patrol boat from La Palma.

The search was temporarily suspended overnight on Thursday due to darkness, but resumed as soon as possible on Friday morning.

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Thursday, November 27 had been a day at sea for Marella Explorer 2. Following the pause for search operations, the 71,545-gross-ton ship resumed her course for Tenerife, docking as planned. She is homeported from the Canary Islands, offering departures from Las Palmas and Santa Cruz for up to 1,800 guests per sailing.

No further details about the overboard passenger have been confirmed, other than the guest was male, 76 years old, and a British national. This is to protect the privacy of family members, friends, and traveling companions at this very upsetting time.

Marella Cruises is offering support to those impacted by the incident and is likewise cooperating fully with authorities.

It should be noted that there is currently no suspicion of foul play, though the incident will be thoroughly investigated as is standard practice with any overboard.

“There’s nothing at this stage pointing to this being a violent death or anyone else intervening in what happened,” local authorities confirmed to The Sun.

Should the Search Continue?

While it is possible for someone to survive in the warm waters surrounding the Canary Islands for quite some time, other factors must be considered.

According to Windy, current water temperatures in the area are 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This is warm enough to keep a person from suffering from hypothermia, but exhaustion would set in after several hours.

Exactly how long an individual could survive in the water would depend on their overall fitness, whether they were injured, and if other factors, such as water swells, strong winds, or wildlife, might also have an impact.

It is not uncommon for search operations to be suspended after a day or two, depending on water conditions. While this can be very challenging for family members or friends to accept, the longer a search continues, the less likelihood of a happy result or indeed, a successful search at all.

Cruise Hive’s thoughts continue to be with all those impacted not only by this incident, but also by all the other overboard incidents and other sad events that impact what should have been cruise vacations with much happier memories.