Boy Nearly Drowns In Cruise Ship Wave Pool

PORT EVERGLADES, Fla. — A 4-year-old boy nearly drowned in a wave pool on a cruise ship, and authorities have ruled the incident an accident.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that the boy had wandered away from his mother on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas on Saturday. According to details released by authorities, he was swept away in a wave pool for about six minutes before a guest noticed him. The boy’s mother had reported him missing. The ship had left Port Everglades an hour earlier.

A swimmer removed the child from the pool. A medical team arrived and took him to the infirmary, where his pulse was restored.

The ship returned to port, and he was treated at a South Florida hospital. A spokeswoman said Monday that he remained in critical condition.

Allison Leslie is a University of South Florida graduate with a bachelors degree in Mass Communications. She joined Genesis in 2016. With a passion for sports, Allison has interned with 620 WDAE, Pewter Report, Trifecta Team: St. Petersburg Bowl, Bullscast, and many other publications. Being a native to the Bay Area, she has followed and supported Tampa Bay teams her whole life.