Louisiana high school graduate Cameron Robbins' last moments were captured in a shaky phone video showing the 18-year-old swimming into the dark Bahamian waters, with an ominous white figure lurking underneath before he disappeared from view - and was never seen again.
The high school baseball star had leapt off the party boat, called Blackbeard’s Revenge, on May 24, just off the uninhabited Athol Island during a graduation trip. The video of his final moments was shared online and sparked widespread fears that Cameron had been possibly killed by a shark in the infested waters below.
A hunt to find the popular teen was launched but within two days, rescuers were forced to call it off with no sign of Cameron anywhere to be found. The teen had only arrived on his graduation holiday to the Caribbean hotspot Atlantis Paradise Island in Nassau a few hours before tragedy unfolded aboard the pirate-themed sunset boat excursion.
Moment teen baseball star, 18, jumps off boat in panicked video as Coast Guard call off search (Reddit/QuietWest3764)
A shadowy image captured in the waters (Twitter)Perhaps one of the most chilling moments from the video are just two words shouted from a bystander to Cameron, seconds after he had jumped into the shark-infested waters. Among the screams from the boat following his jump, one man can be heard shouting 'This kid f***ing jumped off! Oh my f***ing God! Oh, shut the f*** up!" His final ominous words are: "Oh, bye, bye!"
Another person is heard shouting at Cameron to "grab the buoy" which was in the water, but Cameron was last seen swimming away from the life preserver. For two days, the expansive search for Cameron saw officials plot and scour a 325-square-mile area of the Caribbean Sea with no luck.
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Ending the search after two days, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) Commodore Raymond King confirmed that the area is populated by a worryingly high number of sharks. He said: "I can tell you that area where an individual reportedly jumped over, it's an area that is really shark-infested as well." While he added that he didn’t want the family to lose hope, he admitted: "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."
CAMERON ROBBINS
Teenager Cameron Robbins (Cameron Robbins/Instagram)The teenager's family travelled to the Bahamas following the end of the search to try and retrace his final moments. Speaking to WBRZ, United Cajun Navy Vice President Brian Trascher said: "It took a lot of strength for them to go out there and stay for a few days. When we offered to take them out in a boat to the area where he went overboard and some of the area they were searching they went.
"I know had to be very emotional for them, but they went and by Sunday they decided they wanted to go home. Had they found a piece of clothing or any kind of clue, that would cause them to extend that 48-hour period, but if they don't get any kind of indication then that's usually when they call it off."
The family paid tribute to the "beloved grandson, son, brother and friend" online, who had recently graduated from the University Lab School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Explaining that Cameron had been adopted shortly after birth, he became a prolific athlete across every activity he could find and numerous church leagues. They said: "He eventually chose baseball as his first love. [...] He was a tough player, battling back from multiple injuries, known to pitch through separated shoulders and broken hands. He hoped to continue his baseball career at the college level."
Cameron Robbins was described as a basketball star (williamcole031/Instagram)Going on to describe Cameron’s other hobbies, including a love of food, they added: "Though he left this world far too soon, he lived a life full of good friends and family. He was funny and kind-hearted, but also intense and driven. He doted on his grandparents and he took pride in his work. He will be missed desperately by his family and friends, who will carry their cherished memories of him to eternity."
Following the shocking incident, more details about the boat trip emerged, with the mother of one of his friends telling Fox News that several people had tried to grab him before he jumped. She said: "This was a booze cruise, and they were on their way back when this happened. My son texted me when it happened, saying, ‘Cameron jumped off. They can’t find him.'
"They were out there until 2, 3 in the morning. It was terrible weather that night. The kids were cold, wet and traumatised. The girls were in bikinis and bathing suits. The guys were giving them their shirts. It was a bad time to bring drunk 18-year-olds out into waters near this island where there's nothing."
A shark expert later that it was possible that Cameron may have encountered a shark, based on the footage. Kevin McMurray, who runs a website which collects information on shark attacks, said: "What I think happened is, he got in the water and he was swimming around, the shark, for some reason, or whatever it is - I'm not for sure saying it is a shark, but it looks a lot like a shark - essentially it comes and surfaces and there's a life ring out to his right."
Regarding Cameron's fate, McMurray said that if a shark attack did occur, it would likely involve a single bite, and Cameron may have died from exposure or sank. While there could be remains of his body, the expert said recovering them would be extremely challenging due to the large search area and currents.
He stated: "Recovering [Cameron's remains] would be nearly impossible. Something like that, you're talking about a massive search area with currents and all that."
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