( CNN ) A man who fell from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship off the coast of Cozumel , Mexico , was rescued by a Disney cruise ship after passengers spotted him on the water , Mexican authorities say . `` The man was traveling in the Oasis ( of the Seas ) . It was early in the morning . He does n't remember how he fell . Fortunately , another cruise , the Disney Magic , saw him , '' said Cozumel Port Captain Alfonso Rodríguez . The lucky man , a 22-year-old U.S. citizen , had been in the water for about five hours during last Thursday 's ordeal , Rodriguez said . `` At 7:31 a.m. a passenger aboard Disney Magic reported a man in the water . The passenger had thrown multiple lifesavers in the water to help him , '' said Rodriguez . `` They rescued him and gave him medical attention . '' The man was taken to a local hospital and was in good condition before he was flown back to the United States , Rodriguez said . `` This man was reborn . Most people that experience that kind of fall break their neck . It 's like hitting concrete , '' he said . Rescue caught on camera . David Hearn , a Disney Magic passenger , recorded the rescue . In his video , a yellow rescue boat bobs on dark ocean waters , and a man 's head and arms are barely visible above the waves . The man then swims toward the boat and is brought aboard . `` We were in our stateroom . On the speaker system , we heard the crew saying 'Mister M-O-B , starboard side . ' I got dressed and went up to the upper deck , '' Hearn said . M-O-B is the code used for `` man overboard . '' When Hearn reached the Magic 's upper deck , the ship 's crew had already lowered the lifeboat . `` It was pretty surreal at first . It 's not something you expect when you go on a nice cruise , '' Hearn said . `` Our first question was , where did he come from ? We thought it was someone that fell off our ship . '' Hearn said he spoke to the passenger credited with spotting the man in the water . `` His daughter had gotten up , and they had a room with a balcony . She wanted to sit out there , and he went with her , '' Hearn recalled . `` They heard a noise , and as the ship got closer , they realized it was a man screaming for help . They got on the phone with guest services , and the ship came to a stop . '' Safety at sea ? Royal Caribbean closed-circuit TV video showed the man was alone on the Oasis ship Deck 5 when he went overboard at 6:07 a.m. `` There were no other guests or crew around at the time , '' said Cynthia Martinez , a Royal Caribbean spokeswoman . CNN 's request for the video was denied . Oasis of the Seas is one of the world 's largest ships , with room for more than 8,000 passengers and crew . It had departed from Port Everglades , Florida , on January 3 , and Cozumel was the last port of call , Martinez said . The ship 's safety features include a minimum safety railing of 42 inches and more than 1,200 security cameras . `` For their ( passengers ' ) safety , we recommend that guests not lean over or climb on any railing , '' said Martinez . But Miami-based maritime lawyer Jim Walker says these measures are not enough . Instead , he advocates automatic man overboard detection systems . `` This poor guy was pretty lucky . The real issues is why he fell off the ship and why there is no clear explanation , '' Walker said . Automatic man overboard detection technology uses radar and sensors to establish a perimeter around a ship . A mechanism notifies the crew when a person has fallen overboard . One manufacturer of these systems , Mobtronic , boasted a 95 % man overboard detection rate . The Cruise Vessel Safety and Security Act requires large passenger ships to `` integrate technology that can be used for capturing images of passengers or detecting passengers who have fallen overboard , to the extent that such technology is available . '' Unlike this incident , Walker said , the problem with most man overboard cases is that the person is never found and the case goes unsolved . `` There are some people who commit suicide , '' he said . `` The suicides are easily detected because the person leaves a message or does n't bring any luggage onto the ship , or they sell their homes , et cetera . But there are a whole group of cases that do n't fall on the suicide pattern . There are other cases which we suspect are a result of foul play . '' A website that tracks man overboard cases , CruiseJunkie.com , listed 243 cases since 1995 .
Cozumel authorities say the man was at sea for about two hours . It 's not known how he escaped from the Royal Caribbean ship , Queen of the Seas . Star Magic cruise ships heard the man screaming for help .