james michael grimes doesn't remember how he fell off the carnival cruise, but the alabama native hasn. james michael grimes joins me now. you don't remember falling off the boat. you wake up in the gulf of mexico alone. what was your first thought? what was going through your mind when you woke up? >> it was -- you know, i can't believe this actually happened to me. i was out there alone in the water with nothing in sight. it was frightening a you know, i just couldn't believe it happened to me. >> absolutely. take me, if you can, take us in the water, with you -- obviously you were yelling, but i'm just trying to imagine just what my instincts will do in those moments, in those hours being in the water alone. >> um, well, there was no one in sight. i didn't figure it would help, but i seen a light. i don't know. it seems like miles away. i instantly started swimming toward the light. i ended up finding out, after swimming towards it four, five hours, the sun started coming up, i realized it was just an oil rigging platform. i kept trying to swim toward it. when the sun came up, so d

. >> reporter: james michael grimes knows he's lucky to be alive. >> my worst fear is drowning.mething i did not want to have to face. >> reporter: the 28-year-old going overboard a cruise ship in the middle of the night saying he spent about 20 hours treading water alone in the gulf of mexico. >> i wanted to see my family. i was dead set on making it out of there. i was never accepting that this is it, this is going to be the end of my life. >> reporter: it was supposed to be a thanksgiving celebration. james michael and 18 family members boarding the carnival "valor" last wednesday in new orleans. >> we were hanging out, having a good time, watching some live music. that's pretty much it. >> did you have a few drinks? >> uh -- i had during the day. and i'd actually did, like, an air guitar solo. there was a competition they were doing and i'd won it. so i'd won a free drink. so i had that. ♪ >> but you hadn't had -- you weren't inebriated, had a ton of drinks? >> no, ma'am, no. >> how many drinks do you think you'd had? >> uh, it's -- i couldn't really say. >> reporter: around

lauren: james michael grimes was on a big family cruise over thanksgiving.t won the ship's air guitar competition. he was drinking and insists he was not drunk and to answer your question, ashley, he does not remember falling off the ship. he does remember treading water for 20 hours, eating bamboo and surviving jelly fish and sharks before the coast guard rescued him. >> i had taken off my socks and everything and waving them around my head trying to do something where they would see me and when that light finally hit me, somehow i heard, we got him and i seen a guy coming down from the helicopter and it was coming towards me and right then i thought, man, i see the light. lauren: no words, you know, something was triggered in him, i guess, to survive and rejigger his memory but how do you forget falling off a cruise ship? but then remember everything that happened in the water? ashley: yeah, there's more to the story you feel like but the bottom line is he survived, we don't know how but he did. incredible story. thank you, lauren. take a look at dow 30 st

while his skin is raw from the salt and swimming, somehow james michael grimes doesn't have a broken . one he already knows has changed his life forever. >> it was a thanksgiving to remember. >> reporter: james michael grimes knows he's lucky to be alive. >> my worst fear is drowning and that was something i did not want to have to face. >> reporter: the 28-year-old going overboard a cruise ship in the middle of the night saying he spent about 20 hours treading water alone in the gulf of mexico. >> i wanted to see my family and i was dead set on making it out of there, you know. i was never accepting that this is it. this is going to be the end of my life. >> reporter: it was supposed to be a thanksgiving celebration. james michael and 18 of his family members boarding the carnival "valor" last wednesday in new orleans. >> we were hanging out having a good time watching some live music and that's pretty much it. >> yeah. did you have a few drinks? >> i had during the day and i had actually did like an air guitar solo and there was a competition they were doing and i had won it so i wo

. >> reporter: james michael grimes has a story to tell.f a miracle that he survived to tell it. as he told abc's "good morning america," he was on a cruise with 18 members of his family last month, when suddenly he ended up overboard. >> my worst fear is drowning. and that was something i did not want to have to face. >> reporter: it was thanksgiving eve. the 28-year-old said he spent the day having fun with family which included him taking part in an air guitar contest. >> uh-oh. - >> reporter: he won a free drink at the contest but says he was not drunk. later around 11:00 p.m., his sister said he excused himself to go to the restroom. but he told abc he doesn't recall going to the bathroom or falling overboard. >> after i regains consciousness, i was in the water with no boat in sight. >> reporter: how he managed to stay afloat when he was passed out in water is a mystery. >> i can't float myself even when i'm trying to so there had to be -- the lord was with me when i was out there. because something was holding me up the whole time wh

. >> james michael grimes has a story to tell, and it's nothing short of a miracle that he survived toas he told abc's good morning america, he was on a cruise with 18 members of his family last month when suddenly he ended up overboard. >> my worst fear is drowning, and that was something i did not want to have to face. >> reporter: it was thanksgiving eve. the 28-year-old said he spent the day having fun with family, which included him taking part in this air guitar contest. ♪ he won a free drink at the contest but says he was not drunk. later, around 11:00 p.m., his sister said he excused himself to go to the restroom. but he told abc, he doesn't recall going to the bathroom or falling overboard. >> i came to, regained consciousness, i was in the water with no boat in sight. i can't float myself even when i'm trying to. so, there have to be -- you know, the lord was with me when i was out there because something was holding me up the whole time while i was passed out. >> reporter: his family had no idea james had fallen off the carnival "valor" ship and didn't tell anybody on board

this is the video of the 28-year-old james michael grimes while he was still in the water.ore than 15 hours treading water after falling overboard. he told abc news, he still doesn't know how he went over the side. >> did you have a few drinks? >> i had during the day and i had actually did an air guitar solo and there was a competition that they were doing and i had won it so i won a free drink. so i had that. but -- ♪ >> but you hadn't had -- you weren't inebriated and had a ton of drinks? >> no, ma'am. >> so james claims he was knocked unsshs in the initial fall and when he woke up he couldn't see the boat anywhere near him and he said his worst fear was drowning but he was determined to survive. >> wanted to see my family and i was dead set on making it out of there. i was never accepting that this is it. this is going to be the end of my life. >> whether the coast guard guy showed up in the water, what did you say to him? >> well, the first thing i told him was i don't have any clothes on. because i didn't. i done striped out of everything. he said that is fine. and i

james michael grimes says he was not drunk but doesn't remember falling off the ship. >> i came to, regaineds in the water with no boat in sight. >> remember the part about shark-infested waters? >> i was swimming and i looked around and i seen it out of the corner of my eye and it came up on me really quick and i went under and i could see it and it wasn't a shark, i don't believe. but it had more like a flat mouth and came up and bumped one of my legs and i kicked it with the other leg. it scared me. >> grimes says he is forever changed by the horrific experience. >> the fall didn't kill me, sea creatures didn't eat me, i felt like i was meant to get out of there. >>> tune in this sunday. talking to democratic ohio senator sharon brown and incoming republican congressman mike lawler from new york. until then follow me on facebook, instagram and twitter at jake tapper. tweet the show at the lead cnn. if you miss an episode, listen to the lead from whence you get your podcasts. see you sunday morning. >>> happening now the january 6th committee holds urgent talks on the final moves knowing t

he spoke to the media today james and michael grimes and told us he never accepted it wa the end. the 28 -year-old stayed alive b treading water at the mouth of the mississippi river. he was rescued minutes before h would've been lost. >> finally, you would think if you're in an area where tumbleweeds outnumber cars on the road, you'd be smooth sailing. at no what story about? until the winds kicked up to 65 miles per hour and causes a bit of visibility because you got dozens of tumbleweeds. reminds me of an l and john albom i'm gonna let you guess meantime if you have viral videos to share hit me up at trace gallagher or fox news @ night on social media. ♪ ♪ a little bit of country for tha the country thing after cancer culture came for our next guest during the pandemic she was determined to find her voice again that led and figuratively the rouson is it joins us live on era set in los angeles is so great to see you i want to put on the screen because you set this i felt completely silenced and yet there was something in me and that songwriting became the vehicle for me to find