Natasha Schofield (pictured) jumped overboard near New Caledonia on Thursday while holidaying on a cruise ship with her husband and three children

A close friend of a Brisbane mother who jumped from a P&O cruise liner says the woman would never have wanted to hurt her family.

Mother-of-three Natasha Schofield, 47, threw herself overboard at 4pm on Thursday while on the 'holiday of a life-time' with her family.

Speaking out this week, Mrs Schofield's close friend, Damon Smith, said 'hurting her family is the last thing she would have wanted'.

'Tash would never intentionally hurt her husband or children, her family or friends - everything that has happened on that boat is the complete opposite to what she would ever want,' Mr Smith said.

'She must have arrived in a very dark and desperate place in her mind, very very quickly.'

The 47-year-old (pictured) is presumed dead after jumping over the edge of the P&O ship as her husband tried desperately to catch her by the legs after the 'obviously devoted and loving couple' had dinner together

Mr Smith said he heard from Mrs Schofield's husband that her behaviour began to change in the 24 hours leading up to her suicide.

'[Her husband] said she didn't seem herself for just over a day but she assured him she was fine,' he said.

Mr Smith said the death of his close friend was life-altering.

'She has been there for me in various ways, starting from crashing my wedding party to caring for my children a thousand times. I trust her with my life. That generous girl I know only strives to help others and make life happier - she has made me a better person,' he said.

Rescue crews were unable to find Mrs Schofield's body after she propelled herself overboard from the upper deck of the P&O owned Pacific Dawn on Thursday.

Queensland Police have since confirmed Mrs Schofield took her own life.

A terrifying photo appears to show Ms Schofield moments before she is swallowed up by the ocean. After receiving advice from marine experts, the ship called off the search for the Brisbane woman on Friday morning

Queensland Police Inspector Rob Graham told reporters on Sunday Natasha Schofield's fall was 'no accident', and described it as a 'tragic act'.

'Her husband was standing right next to her when she went over,' Mr Graham said.

'Her husband tried to grab on to her leg... but she fell.'

Ms Schofield, 47, was travelling with her husband and three children, two daughters and a son aged 12-16 when she jumped.

Mr Graham said they did not believe the woman's children were in the area when she plunged 30m into the ocean from the top deck of the ship.

Passengers disembarked the Pacific Dawn in Brisbane on Sunday morning (pictured)

CCTV footage showed Ms Schofield walking with her husband along the deck before the tragic act took place.

A spokesman for P&O told SBS the clips showed 'an obviously devoted and loving couple'.

The heartbreaking incident unfolded 300km west of New Caledonia on Thursday, leaving distraught passengers with a grueling two day trip back to Brisbane.

Passengers were seen disembarking the vessel on Sunday morning at the Port of Brisbane.

A crew member saw the woman jump off the Pacific Dawn when it was 300km west of Pacific island New Caledonia. Pictured: A blue arrow shows where the boat turned around

Many appeared tired, with forlorn looks on their faces after the dramatic end to their trip.

The Pacific Dawn cruise stopped just before dusk on Thursday, as a desperate search began in the area where the woman had jumped.

About 8am on Friday, as huge swell surrounded the boat and the search was called off on the advice of marine experts.

Many appeared tired and distraught as they stepped back on to dry land following the tragic end to their holiday

Queensland police have opened an investigation into how Ms Schofield plunged to her death (crew members onboard at time of search)

The ship's captain had told all passengers a search crew was 'unable to locate our guest' on Friday

'It is with a very heavy heart that I need to let you know that we have been unable to locate our guest,' the ship's captain told his passengers.

'We are still in the area of the incident, and the weather conditions with the swell three to four metres high, as you can see outside... the strong wind made our search extremely challenging.

'As a result we have now made the extremely difficult decision to continue our journey towards Brisbane.'

Initial reports had suggested a mammoth wave swept the mother of the ship when it hit the deck, but a P&O spokesman later denied the claim.

At least 308 people have gone overboard from cruise ships since 2000.

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Beyondblue: 1300 22 4636

Nearby vessels assisted in the search but none were close enough to find the mother-of-three. Pictured: A map showing where the boat (red) stopped on the route it took