The Coast Guard is searching Florida waters for a man who went overboard from a Carnival cruise ship Friday in what the cruise line is calling an "intentional act."

The 26-year-old man went overboard the Carnival Victory Friday morning while the ship was 35 miles south of Islamorada, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The cruise started in Miami four days earlier and returned there Friday as planned.

"Sadly, all the facts surrounding this unfortunate incident indicate it was an intentional act," a Carnival spokesman said. "We remain hopeful that the U.S. Coast Guard effort will bring positive news."

The Coast Guard deployed a helicopter, a surveillance plane and a vessel to search for the man. In a tweet Friday evening, the Coast Guard said that the search would continue through the night and identified the missing man as Thomas McElhany.