Leonardo DiCaprio Ditches Vacation To Help Rescue Man Who Fell Overboard

BY Erika Marie 2.1K Views
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Leonardo DiCaprio
The man had been treading water for 11 hours.

Not only is Leonardo DiCaprio helping to save and heal the planet through his environmental organization Earth Alliance, but the acclaimed actor is also rescuing strangers lost at sea. Although the frightening event took place on December 30, news of the rescue only surfaced in the media on Thursday. 

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A 24-year-old Club Med yacht crewman was reportedly intoxicated when he fell overboard near the Caribbean island of St. Martin. Realizing that the crewman was gone, the captain of the ship placed "panicked emergency messages" to any nearby vessels. There was another yacht near St. Barts with at least two guests on board: 45-year-old Leonardo DiCaprio with his 22-year-old model girlfriend, Camila Morrone.

DiCaprio agreed to use his ship to search for the young crewman, and after treading water for 11 hours, the exhausted man was found. By the time DiCaprio and his team came across the man, he'd drifted out about 30 miles away from where he initially went overboard. It's reported that the unnamed man was close to drowning and severely dehydrated. He thought he was hallucinating when he saw that a movie star was his rescuer.

“Leonardo played a blinding role in his own real-life Hollywood movie," a source told The Sun. "[DiCaprio's crew] were the only responders, and his only chance of survival, despite being hours away. The ‘man overboard’ was minutes from drowning when he was found. The captain put the man's chances of survival at one in a billion - like winning the lottery twice.”

"I should have died," the man said, according to CBS News.


About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.