A Baton Rouge teenager made the news after he jumped from the deck of a cruise ship into waters near Nassau. The teen Cameron Robbins was said to have leaped from the vessel on a dare and after being swept away by the current, has not been seen since.
Robbins was aboard the cruise along with several hundred other students after graduation from the University Laboratory School. The 18 year old Robbins graduated on May 21. Reports indicate that he jumped from the ship as part of a dare from friends and former classmates. A day’s long search and rescue effort took place involving elements from the United States Coast Guard, but Robbins was not found. Those search efforts have since been suspended.
In part of a press release, Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Spado, Coast Guard liaison officer to the Bahamas said, “U.S. Coast Guard District Seven deployed multiple search and rescue assets in response to an agency assistance request from our partners in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. Our Coast Guard command center and aircrews based in Miami supported RBDF search and rescue efforts since the initial report Wednesday evening, and continued through Friday evening.”
Spado went on to say that as of now, efforts to find the team have ended as the window for recovery has closed. He said, “We were informed by the RBDF this evening that they were suspending the active search efforts pending further developments, and were not requesting further Coast Guard assistance after notifying the Robbins family. We offer our sincerest condolences to Cameron Robbins’ family and friends.”
The United States Coast Guard used air and water assets in the search, which spanned more than 325 square miles. There has been no announcement that a body was found.
Now, as the video of Robbins falling from the ship has been seen so widely across the internet, many have developed a theory about how the teen disappeared. The new theory that is being shared by many internet sleuths is that a small shadowy figure can be seen in the water immediately after Robbins enters the ocean. Many believe that figure to be a shark.
I slowed down footage of Cameron Robbins.
He looks at something in the water, then you see a white shark, he turns and swims away, then you see the head of a big shark grab him by the legs, next he's gone.
This is so horrible… poor guy.Never go swimming in the sea at night. pic.twitter.com/mgqHHgnVqY
— Ghost Crab (@drinkmoregravy) May 31, 2023
According to Royal Bahamas Defense Force Commodore Raymond King, the waters that Robbins leaped into are “really shark-infested.” He went on to say that “The probability of survival decreases significantly particularly if a person did not have on a life vest and particularly if a person is perceived to be intoxicated.”
Commodore King did, however, make it a point to remain upbeat about the chances of recovering the teen, saying, “I can tell you that area where an individual reportedly jumped over, it’s an area that is really shark-infested as well. It is so unfortunate but I don’t want the family to lose hope.”
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