Overboard

I was just on my first cruise and had the strangest sensation.... I wanted to jump overboard. Now, I am not suicidal in anyway and obviously it would be a bad idea. But, while we were cruising and I would look out on the ocean, it seemed to call to me.... how peaceful it appeared to just jump in and sail away with the sea.

I was getting a little concerned so I mentioned it a dinner one night later on in the cruise. While my husband thought I was a bit nuts, one of the ladies dining with us said she totally understood. And, had actually had a similar desire at a lookout point on the side of a mountain - to just jump over the edge.

Anybody else have this experience? I would like to know that I am not the only crazy one.

Sorry, never had that feeling when I look out at the beautiful waters.

My best friend has has those sensations a lot. He says there are many times when he knows he can't do it but there's a feeling of calmness. Or something like that. He says its hard to describe. He is in no way suicidal,and we laugh everytime he has one of these feelings. But rest assured you are not alone. :)

Wow - I wonder if thats what has made all those people on the Carnival ships come up missing in the past several months? :confused:

Perhaps that feeling indulged with too many alcoholic drinks. In reality, I think it would be a very painful and traumatic experience.

Divers experience that. It's called "Rapture of the deep." They just take their masks off and join the ocean.

Since I posted my 'vertigo' problem, I may as well come out of the closet on this one.

I have had a similiar sensation or feeling...Not from up on deck, but from our balcony. NOT everytime, just sometimes when I am alone...

"rapture of the deep" is a very apt description.

Glad to know I am not completely nuts!

Rapture of the deep is a sensation which is caused by nitrogen narcosis- in other words it is chemically caused by breathing compressed at at depth- so it is very different than the sensation you have described.

Didn't know that; thanks.

Your not crazy, I've heard that before as well. ;)

i have had that experience also. someone once told me that folks afraid of heights often feel the urge to jump. something to think about.

I have not had the desire to jump in, but I love to throw something overboard and watch it float to the water level.

I don't even like to look at the water at night.

Happy KS - Actually, stone cold sober! And,:rolleyes: DUH....obviously not a good idea!

and other such places. He never mentioned it on ship, and he has no general fear of heights. I find it kooky, but he is an otherwise extremely stable guy, so it just seems to be a fluke!

Kristin

Since I posted my 'vertigo' problem' date=' I may as well come out of the closet on this one.

 

I have had a similiar sensation or feeling...Not from up on deck, but from our balcony. NOT everytime, just sometimes when I am alone...

 

"rapture of the deep" is a very apt description.

 

Glad to know I am not completely nuts![/quote']

 

My advice then is don't book a balcony then. I also want to say I am VERY afraid of heights and I have never had the desire to jump. Just the opposite-I feel so dizzy with fear I want to get down on my hands and knees and CRAWL away from what is danger in my poor phobic mind.

 

Fear of heights is very embarrassing for me. I can get paralized with fear and people around me just look at me like I am nuts or something. I guess unless you have this phobia you can't understand.

Wow - I've cruised a lot and usually have a balcony and before this last cruise, I had never had that feeling. Several times while I was at the railing watching the waves, I had the feeling that I could just climb up on the railing and jump in. I absolutely know that it would be nothing like I "feel" it would be. It was just a very strange feeling. I am not the least bit suicidal so that isn't it. I could picture myself climbing up on the railing and jumping. I'm usually on a much higher deck and this time I felt much closer to the water since I was on deck 6. Maybe that was it.

I've experienced that feeling at times since I was a child looking down from a high tower. It scared me at first, but now I've read that it's not unusual.

I've had dreams of drowning and they are very pleasant......hope those dreams don't come true on my first cruise this spring!!!

I've never had that feeling.. But I do like to go to one of the lower decks and just stare at the water.. I find it very relaxing to just stand there at the railing and watch the water go by.. Its a very calming and peaceful feeling..

In a long ago psychology course I remember reading about this type of thought or behavior but cannot remember what it is called. It had to do with having unreasonable or irrational thoughts but there is some term for being able to resist doing these things, such as jumping overboard or standing up and screaming in church! People who do not have this ability to resist often do the bizarre things we read about. I have thoughts of just randomly slapping a stranger or running into a wall with my car and I think I am perfectly sane. As long as my ability to overcome these thoughts is working, I won't get into trouble!!

The only time I have thought about jumping overboard is based on a future medical condition...meaning I have a certain amount of time to live. I will charge a four month long world cruise, see the world, dance, and then jump the night before debarkation. If I go while on the cruise, then they can just throw me overboard!

Coka

Coka-

Before you head overboard- please be sure to post another fantastic review!

For those of you not familiar with Coka, check out some previous posts for the best writing on these boards.

Please don't jump until we get some more "Adventures of Coka" :)

Kar, my best friend is a psychiatrist and I asked her about this thread. She said nearly exactly what you said. We all have "urges" to do things that we know aren't rational. What makes most people different from killers, jumpers, robbers, etc.... is that we understand the impulse to NOT do such things also!

I've honestly stood in the line at the bank, when these darn tellers take 7 hours to cash one check (I've been a teller, so don't flame me) and wanted to push everyone over and just scream "I have a freaking deposit, can ANYONE handle that?????"

Isn't the mind just amazing?

I've had dreams of drowning and they are very pleasant......hope those dreams don't come true on my first cruise this spring!!!

I came close to drowning as a small child-it is very unpleasant. You are choking on water and gasping for air-I believe a horrible way to die from my experience. I understand that is the way a heart attack feels-you are gasping for air-that would be a horrible way to die too.

You guys should go over and read the post on the Carnival board. It is like 4 pages long and one nut decided there must be a Carnival crew member changing ships that is a serial killer or something. They felt this because there has been 3 on Carnival ships in the last month. They seem to forget the crew contracts are like 8 months long for a ship and there is a like a 6 week break between contracts so the crew member can be with family. Plus the poor german guy obviosly committed suicide as there were numerous eye witnesses.

I got to thinking about you guys commenting about the feeling looking at the water-isn't that like you have accidently self hyponised yourself looking at the water? I am sure there are things you can do to prevent that from happening.