The Coast Guard rescues cruise ship passenger with strokes 300 miles from Hawaii’s coast

Video of the rescue shows a Coast Guard medevac helicopter hovering over the Holland America Line’s Koningsdam ship on Thursday, before it lowered a basket for the man to go into prior to being hoisted and taken to Honolulu’s Queen’s Medical Center.

Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu received a notice the day before that the cruise passenger had multiple strokes, and a flight surgeon recommended that he be medevaced within 20 hours, the USCG said in a press release.

The following morning, an HC-130 Hercules airplane crew and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point met up with the cruise ship about 60 miles south of Honolulu. 

View from Holland America Line’s Koningsdam shows the man being lifted into the medevac on Feb. 27, 2025.  (Coast Guard video, courtesy by Air Station Barbers Point)

The man was taken to Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, the USCG said.  (Coast Guard video, courtesy by Air Station Barbers Point)

The Coast Guard said the man, whose identity was not made public, was in stable condition.

Holland America did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.