Carnival cruise passenger John Kopta recalls pulling drowning American tourist out of water at Celebration Key resort

A Carnival Cruise passenger recalled the heroic efforts of strangers attempting to rescue one of the two American tourists who drowned at the cruise line’s newly opened $600 million private resort.

Arkansas resident John Kopta was enjoying a getaway at Celebration Key on Grand Bahama Island, exploring the Caribbean beach with his wife on August 15 just before noon, when tragedy struck.

The couple noticed a fellow snorkeler at the bottom of the shallow water not moving and Kopta jumped into action.

“I’m a dad, a grandpa and once the adrenaline kicks in, you’re not thinking anything,” Kopta told 5News.

Kopta, his wife and a third beach-goer rushed to the unidentified 79-year-old man’s side and pulled him out of the water.

“I look, I can see him, and I said, ‘oh my God,’” Kopta explained. “My wife and I hopped off and I ran over there about the same time (the third man) got there, and we went down. He grabbed him by the arms, brought him up. I grabbed his legs, brought him up, and he was lifeless at that point.”

Kopta says the three carried the man out of the water, where lifeguards and medical crews met them and began performing CPR.

“At one point, there were 10 lifeguards surrounding, you know, making a perimeter, and all the ones were working on him, and the EMTs came with the sirens on the ATVs on the sand, and I thought they did everything they could,” he said.

“I just started praying, ‘Lord, you know, touch this man, if you can. You know, I know you can, but just touch this man,’ and I think he was already gone at that point.”

The tourist was pronounced dead by medical doctors a short time later, the Royal Bahamas Police Force announced.

It was the first fatal drowning of the day. A 74-year-old American woman later drowned in a freshwater lagoon just after 2:30 p.m.

Carnival confirmed both tragic drownings to The Post.

“Our lifeguards and medical team responded to two separate water emergency incidents at Celebration Key on Friday — one in the lagoon and one at the beach. Sadly, both guests have passed away,” a Carnival spokesperson told The Post.

Both unidentified victims had traveled to the Grand Bahama private resort with their families. One sailing on the Mardi Gras, the other on Carnival Elation.

Medical examiners on the island were performing autopsies to determine the exact cause of both deaths.

The fatal drownings happened less than a month after the luxurious resort opened on July 19.

Celebration Key, described as the “Key to Paradise,” is an exclusive travel destination opened only for Carnival guests that features five marquee attractions, including the “largest freshwater lagoon in the Caribbean.”

The hotspot features 275,000 square foot lagoons — Starfish and Calypso — and an 11,000 square foot infinity pool at the Pearl Cove Beach Club.