Between the OceanGate submarine disaster, Orca Whales tipping boats, and increased shark attacks, the sea is fighting back! And now it’s coming for cruise ships.


On Friday, June 17, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship hadn’t even set off from Port Canaveral Florida when it was bombarded by a tropical storm. The onslaught of rain and wind reached gusts up to 60 miles per hour and tossed chairs and passengers around like beanbags. Although the worst of the storm only lasted about four minutes, the turbulent start was surely a warning sign from the sea.



“Everything ocean involved needs to just be off limits at the moment,” Fredo commented.


Passengers were slow to react to the storm, and children and adults alike clambered to get indoors. One mother and child narrowly missed getting crushed by a deck chair.


“The sun was shining just 10 minutes before!” one passenger, Cora Cornett wrote on TikTok. “We were on the top deck watching another boat in port get hit with rain when suddenly it DISAPPEARED in the rain so we ran down to the next deck but it was already on us.”


@cornettahh Small but mighty squall hit us before we even left Port Canaveral. The sun was shining just 10 minutes before! We were on the top deck watching another boat in port get hit with rain when suddenly it DISAPPEARED in the rain so we ran down to the next deck but it was already on us #independenceofthesea #cruiseship #royalcaribbean ♬ original sound - Cora Cornett


@cornettahh Another angle from the 6/16/23 squall that hit #independenceofthesea while docked in #PortCanaveral around 4pm. It hit so fast and was gone in a matter of minutes! No ship announcements were made before or after so people on the lower pool deck were hit completely without warning. #hurricaneseason #floridaweather #cruiseship #royalcaribbean #chaos #ocean #sea #squall ♬ original sound - Cora Cornett


Despite its tumultuous start, the Independence of the Seas departed Port Canaveral on schedule, and the 154,407-ton boat with a capacity of 3,858 passengers completed its cruise without a hitch. The ocean needs to step up its game if it really wants to stop the might of the tourism industry.