From Leonardo DiCaprio and Chris Hemsworth to Kelly Rowland and Simon Cowell, discover the shocking stories of celebrities who were rescued at sea or who played the part of the hero and managed to help others who had run into trouble...
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio’s character Jack may have become a victim of the sea in James Cameron's sailing film Titanic, but the actor who played the part managed to rescue a civilian from a similar fate in late 2019. While vacationing on a yacht in St Barths, the Oscar winner answered a distress call concerning a man who had drifted out to sea after falling overboard from a Club Med ship cruising the Caribbean. The 24-year-old Frenchman was found an hour before dark and had been treading water for nearly 11 hours. He was severely dehydrated when he was pulled aboard DiCaprio’s yacht, but was given food, water and clothing before being handed into the care of the local Coast Guard.
Russell Crowe
Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe was rescued in 2012 when he got lost at sea in the waters around New York’s Long Island. Crowe and a friend had lost their way while kayaking, as night had fallen slightly earlier than expected. No one was hurt, and the pair were picked up by a passing Cost Guard and taken back to Huntington Bay shortly thereafter. The actor later turned to twitter to thank "the boys from the U.S Coast Guard for guiding the way" back to safety.
Ben Ainslie
Even top sailors can run into trouble at sea. In 2015, five-time Olympic medallist and America's Cup sailor Sir Ben Ainslie called for help during his sailing honeymoon in the Caribbean after his chartered yacht experienced mechanical issues and started to drift close to a reef. He was helpfully put to rights by the team on Sir Richard Branson’s nearby home of Necker Island.
Ainslie exclusively shared with Boat International the details of the eventful day, explaining that it was somewhat less dramatic than initially portrayed. "The mainsail furling unit broke. We could only fix it by hoisting someone up to the top of the mast. We were not in any danger but clearly needed help to fix the breakdown. The guys from Necker watersports were fantastic and we are very grateful to Richard and all of the Necker team for their help and hospitality."
Kelly Rowland
Popstar Kelly Rowland was rescued after 12 hours lost at sea in July 2013. The captain of the private vessel had been following a whale-watching boat off the coast of Cape Cod when he lost sight of her and became disorientated. This celebrity was rescued when a commercial towboat operator escorted the boat back to Provincetown in Cape Cod.
“It was pretty rocky out there, from what they told me,” said Noah Santos, captain of the towboat that escorted the vessel back to land. “They were just a little shaken up.”
Chris Hemsworth
Actor Chris Hemsworth and his family were involved in a celebrity sea rescue when their fishing catamaran ran aground off the coast of Canary Island La Gomera in November 2013. Two rescue boats and a helicopter were sent to take the Thor star and the other passengers, including his pregnant wife and 18-month-old daughter, to shore.
At the time, Hemsworth was filming In the Heart of the Sea, a movie about a whaling ship that sinks in the Pacific Ocean in 1820. It’s claimed the catamaran was chartered by the film’s production company to transport the group to Playa de Santiago on the south of La Gomera.
Simon Cowell
Music mogul Simon Cowell conducted a celebrity sea rescue in August 2012 when 43 metre Baglietto yacht Sofia 3 began sinking. The superyacht, with nine passengers on board, was struck by waves from behind and took on water aft. Cowell received a Mayday distress call and directed the captain and crew of chartered 60 metre CMN superyacht Slipstream to assist.
“He only did what any good person would do,” said pop star Sinitta, who was on board during the sea rescue. “If his yacht was in trouble he would want someone to come to his rescue. It was just lucky they happened to be close by.”