Carnival Cruise Passenger Identified After Going Overboard During Anniversary Trip With Wife and Three Sons

Thomas Gigler, who was reportedly marking the milestone with wife Michelle, 48, was sailing aboard the Carnival Panorama when he is understood to have jumped on Saturday. Facebook/Michelle Gigler

A 56-year-old California father of three who went overboard from a Carnival cruise ship during a family anniversary trip has been identified as Thomas Gigler of Redlands.

Gigler was traveling aboard the Carnival Panorama with his wife, Michelle, 48, and their three sons when he disappeared on Saturday, September 19, as the ship was making its way from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, toward Long Beach, California.

The couple were preparing to mark their wedding anniversary during the trip. According to reports, Gigler went overboard from the ship’s 11th deck. He has not been found and is presumed dead.

A Family Trip Turns Into a Desperate Search

The California computer programmer, who spent 24 years working for Esri, is believed to have gone off the 11th deck as it traveled from Mexico towards Long Beach. Facebook/Michelle Gigler

Gigler and his family lived in Redlands, around 63 miles east of Los Angeles.

A computer programmer who spent 24 years working for Esri, Gigler had been on the cruise with his wife and their three children when his disappearance triggered an emergency response aboard the ship.

Carnival Cruise Line confirmed that a male passenger had gone overboard while the Carnival Panorama was sailing from Puerto Vallarta to Long Beach.

After the crew was alerted that a guest was missing, the ship began its search and investigation procedures. Carnival said that included reviewing surveillance footage and notifying both the U.S. and Mexican Coast Guards.

The footage ultimately confirmed that Gigler had gone overboard.

The ship then turned around to search the surrounding waters before later resuming its journey toward Southern California. Reports place the turnaround at around 2 to 3 p.m., with the ship returning to its northbound route at approximately 4:30 p.m.

U.S. And Mexican Authorities Join The Search

A Carnival cruise passenger who went overboard has been identified as a 56-year-old father of three who was on his anniversary trip when he vanished in the ocean. AFP via Getty Images

The search quickly expanded beyond the cruise ship.

The U.S. and Mexican Coast Guards were notified, while the Mexican Navy and nearby commercial vessels also assisted in the effort. Coast Guard aircraft were also involved in the search operation.

Despite the coordinated response, Gigler was not located.

The incident unfolded during the final full day of the seven-night cruise, which had departed Long Beach on September 13 and included a stop in Puerto Vallarta before the ship began its return journey to California.

His Family Is Still Searching For Answers

For Gigler’s relatives, the most difficult question is not simply where he went overboard, but what happened immediately beforehand.

His sister, Wendy Dowden, disputed a fellow passenger’s account that Gigler had discussed problems in his marriage during a conversation at the ship’s Alchemy Bar the night before his disappearance.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Dowden said her brother and Michelle “were getting along quite well,” rejecting the suggestion that marital difficulties had prompted what happened.

Instead, the family believes something unexpected may have affected Gigler shortly before he went overboard.

“We think something must have happened in his head. He wasn’t in his right mind to have done this,” Dowden said.

The family also said Gigler had no known history of mental illness. Neither Carnival nor authorities have publicly established what caused him to go overboard.

That distinction remains important: the family’s theory about what may have happened is not an official explanation for the incident.

Passengers Were Asked To Cooperate During The Search

The disappearance also left other passengers on board confronting an unsettling situation as the crew searched the ship.

A video shared by another passenger captured an announcement asking guests to cooperate while the search continued.

A cruise official appeared to tell passengers that the missing guest had not yet been located, that Carnival’s fleet operation in Miami and the relevant authorities had been notified, and that the search was continuing for Gigler’s family and friends.

Passengers were later shown a small memorial created aboard the ship, with handwritten messages, prayers and other tributes for Gigler and his loved ones.

The memorial offered a quiet response from fellow travelers as the search continued.

Another Carnival Cruise Death Earlier This Year

Gigler’s disappearance comes months after another fatal incident involving a Carnival cruise ship near Southern California.

Briana Miller, 24, died after going overboard from the Carnival Firenze near Catalina Island on April 27.

According to the original report, Miller went over the ship’s balcony following an argument with her family and landed on a deck below. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner later ruled her death a suicide caused by blunt trauma.

The circumstances surrounding Gigler’s disappearance remain different, with his family continuing to seek answers about what happened before he went overboard.