NEW YORK -- The Coast Guard has suspended its search for a man who jumped overboard while returning from the British Virgin Islands on a Carnival Cruise Lines ship with his family.

Ramesh Krishnamurthy, 35, of Doylestown, Pa., had been arguing with his wife over the bar tab early Saturday when he jumped from the ship in front of his two children, Petty Officer Christopher Evanson said Tuesday.

The Coast Guard suspended its 17-hour search at 6 p.m. Sunday after "we exhausted all our options," said Evanson.

Krishnamurthy jumped into the Atlantic Ocean about 245 miles southeast of Bermuda, he said.

He was "under the influence of alcohol when he participated in the argument with his wife," the officer said.

Authorities said foul play did not appear to be a factor in the incident.

Carnival Cruise Lines said in a statement that its Carnival Legend vessel was enroute from Tortola just after 1 a.m. Saturday when the passenger was seen jumping overboard.

The Coast Guard sent a C-130 airplane crew to help look for the man, but after 12 hours without finding him, it sent the cruise ship on its way to New York, where it docked Sunday night, Carnival said. The Coast Guard continued the search for several more hours.

Passengers said they were told the man had argued with his wife in his cabin before jumping over a balcony. They said a call of "Bravo, bravo," used to alert crew members to a serious incident, was heard over the ship's announcement system.

New York, the 963-foot-long ship's homeport, was the last stop on the eight-day round-trip cruise, which visited San Juan, Puerto Rico, and St. Thomas, one of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Tortola.

The Carnival Legend, dubbed a Fun Ship on the cruise company's Web site, can carry more than 2,100 passengers and 900 crew members. It features 12 decks and 1,062 staterooms, almost all with ocean views.