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- Carnival Cruise Passenger Recalls Pulling Man's 'Lifeless' Body Out of the Water After He Drowned at Bahamas Resort</p>
<p>Becca LongmireAugust 21, 2025 at 7:06 PM</p>
<p>5NEWS/Youtube</p>
<p>John Kopta -</p>
<p>A Carnival Cruise passenger is opening up about the moment he pulled a "lifeless" body out of the water at Celebration Key, a newly opened luxury resort in The Bahamas, on Friday, August 15</p>
<p>The "unresponsive" 79-year-old had been snorkelling, and Arkansas resident John Kopta helped to bring him out of the water along with another man</p>
<p>In a separate incident, a 74-year-old woman also drowned at the resort after becoming unresponsive while swimming on another Carnival Cruise ship</p>
<p>A Carnival Cruise passenger is speaking out about the moment he pulled a "lifeless" snorkeler out of the water at a newly opened luxury private resort in the Bahamas.</p>
<p>Shortly before noon local time on Friday, Aug. 15, police were alerted to an incident at Celebration Key, where they discovered an "unresponsive" 79-year-old man, the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) previously said in a news release shared on Facebook.</p>
<p>The unidentified American tourist was snorkeling at a beach before he became unresponsive and had to be removed from the water by a lifeguard. Despite CPR being administered, the man was soon pronounced dead by a medical doctor, per the news release.</p>
<p>Arkansas resident John Kopta and another man helped bring the man out of the water after spotting him at the bottom of the shallow ocean not moving.</p>
<p>"I'm a dad, a grandpa and once the adrenaline kicks in, you're not thinking anything," Kopta recalled to CBS-affiliated station 5News.</p>
<p>Kopta added to the outlet, "My wife and I hopped off and I ran over there about the same time [the other man] got there, and we went down. He grabbed him by the arms, brought him up. I grabbed his legs, brought him up, and he was lifeless at that point."</p>
<p>He told the station that he thought emergency services "did everything they could" in a bid to try and save the man.</p>
<p>"At one point, there was 10 lifeguards surrounding, you know, making a perimeter, and all the ones were working on him, and the EMTs came with the sirens on the ATVs on the sand, and I thought they did everything they could," Kopta shared.</p>
<p>Joe Burbank/Getty</p>
<p>Carnival Cruise Line's Mardi Gras cruise ship is pictured in 2021</p>
<p>Kopta insisted that all he and his wife thought they could do in that moment was pray, and questioned whether they'd missed something before the man drowned.</p>
<p>"I don't think there was, I don't think there was anything that he did that showed that he was drowning," Kopta added, sending his condolences to the man's family.</p>
<p>PEOPLE has reached out to Kopta for comment, but did not immediately hear back.</p>
<p>BIS Bahamas/Facebook</p>
<p>A photo of the Celebration Key resort in the Bahamas</p>
<p>In another incident shortly after 2:30 p.m. the same day, officers discovered an "unresponsive" 74-year-old woman on board a separate cruise ship.</p>
<p>"The initial report suggests that the female became unresponsive while swimming in a pool," police said in the release. The unidentified American woman was given CPR at the scene, but also died.</p>
<p>The two tourists had been traveling on separate Carnival Cruise ships at Celebration Key on Grand Bahama Island at the time of the incidents.</p>
<p>Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty</p>
<p>Shaquille O'Neal and Carnival Vista Captain Paolo Severini among others at the opening of Celebration Key on July 19</p>
<p>Carnival Cruise Line said in a statement previously obtained by PEOPLE, "Our lifeguards and medical team responded to two separate water emergency incidents at Celebration Key on Friday — one in the lagoon and one at the beach.</p>
<p>"Sadly, both guests have passed away. One guest was sailing with family on Mardi Gras and one guest was sailing with family on Carnival Elation," the statement continued.</p>
<p>"Our thoughts and prayers are with the guests and their families and our Care Team is providing assistance," they added.</p>
<p>ALEX MENENDEZ/Shutterstock</p>
<p>A photo of Carnival Cruise's Line Mardi Gras cruise ship taken in 2021</p>
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<p>Carnival Cruise Line's private $600 million travel destination, Celebration Key, opened on July 19, per the New York Post.</p>
<p>The luxury resort includes a beach club, swimming pools, bars, restaurants and activities for both adults and children, according to its website.</p>
<p>on People</p>
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