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Costa Cruise Jumper - Coast Guard Gives Up Search

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GG Staff | 03/11/2008 - 15:07 | 3 comments

Woman jumps from Costa Mediterranea on the way to Grand Cayman

I've often wondered how long it would take the Coast Guard to fish you out of the drink - if you "accidentally" fell overboard. Thanks to Tina White, I'm no longer curious.

Costa Cruise JumperCosta Cruise JumperTina White, 39, of Bonita Springs, Fla., apparently had a fight with her boyfriend on the Costa Mediterranea about 20 miles off the coast of Key Largo in the Florida Keys. White's boyfriend, Andy Hopkins, says they were arguing on deck shortly after midnight on Saturday, when she became agitated and suddenly jumped overboard.

White's brother Toby McRory of Bonita Springs, Fla., isn't buying that story though. "I don't think she jumped. I know my sister. She's afraid of water and scared of heights," he said. He went onto to say his sister had a rocky relationship with her boyfriend and would never have "accidentally" fallen overboard.

We may never know the real story though. Coast Guard officials called off the search Monday after searching more than 3,000 sq miles.

"We have suspended our active search pending further developments," said Lt. Eric Pare, a command duty officer at the Coast Guard 7th District command center. "We are confident that if White was in the area we searched, we would have found her."

Costa Mediterranea missed their stop at Key West yesterday to comply with the search, but is scheduled to arrive on schedule at Grand Cayman today.

Foul play while cruising? Not as uncommon as you'd think according to CruiseBruise.com

  • In July 2006, Mary Kay Galeana, 22, of Naples, the daughter of Frank Galeana - owner of the Galeana Automotive Group - disappeared from a cruise ship sailing through the Tyrrhenian Sea off Italy and was later declared dead.
  • Monique Teresia Van der Steenstraeten, 49, a passenger on the Discovery Sun casino ship along with her boyfriend, washed ashore in Broward County in November, 2007.
  • David Ritcheson, 18, of Texas, was pulled out of the Gulf of Mexico while sailing to Cozumel, Mexico in July 2007. Ritcheson, a Hispanic, had testified before Congress in 2006 how he had been beaten and sexually assaulted by two young men in a racially motivated attack. He said he was struggling with being identified as a victim.

What do you think of White's disappearance? Smell something fishy?

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Comments

We were on this cruise and

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 03/28/2008 - 09:33.
We were on this cruise and only four cabins away from their cabin. From what we were told, the cabin next to them called security because they were fighting and she started screaming. It was also told to us that they were both very intoxicated. Since they were both intoxicated and with the fact that she would have had to climb up on a balcoy almost 4 ft high, then dive to miss a deck below that extended out about 8ft how was she able to pose on the balcony and then do a stong dive. We were located on the 5th deck, and that is where she went off from

I've read about this in

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 03/12/2008 - 12:52.
I've read about this in other places and I haven't seen comments from anyone who "saw" her jump. I though cruise ships had cameras that filmed this kind of thing. Wasn't the ship late in even reporting the "jumping" to the authorities. My heart goes out to her family! I hope they eventually find some closure.

Foul play not as uncommon as

Submitted by Paul Motter (not verified) on Wed, 03/12/2008 - 12:03.
Foul play not as uncommon as you think? I personally think cruisebruise is the least credible web site there is. Of the three samples you cite I know for a fact number three was a suicide - no foul play. The other two I do not remember, but I guarantee you no charges were filed or I would know. There has never been a charge for murder on a cruise ship, despite all the innuendo. For, this case (Tina White) one news story (Channel 6 television) says there are witnesses who saw her become agitated and jump. So much for your foul play theory.

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