The Louisiana high school graduate who disappeared after leaping off a cruise ship into dark waters off the Bahamas last week may have met a grisly fate in the “shark-infested” area, a local official said.
The waters off Athol Island, where 18-year-old Cameron Robbins was last seen swimming after jumping off the Blackbeard’s Revenge sunset cruise on May 24, are “really shark-infested,” Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) Commodore Raymond King told The Daily Mail on Tuesday.
A chaotic video taken moments after the jump overboard also shows the Baton Rouge native ignoring onlookers’ pleas for him to grab a buoy and swim in the opposite direction – prompting social media sleuths to suggest that a silvery reflection near the boat’s hull may have actually been a shark that scared him off.
“Haunting, but you can see the exact moment the shark gets him,” one Twitter user wrote alongside a screenshot of Robbins and the shadow just inches apart.
“Tragic & scary in every way.”
Another viewer argued that Robbins could be seen abandoning the life ring after he notices the shape nearby.
“He initially goes for the buoy but then turns around when he sees the shark, ultimately disappearing into the water, likely dragged down. Very sad,” they wrote.
The Blackbeard’s Revenge, which is designed to resemble a pirate ship, remained in the area for several hours while the crew attempted to look for Robbins.
The Coast Guard called off its own search two days later, after reportedly scouring over 325 square miles.
Robbins disappeared three days after his graduation from University Laboratory School. He was staying at Atlantis Paradise Island with a group of fellow seniors from other area high schools.
In the wake of the tragedy, University Lab School Director Kevin George described the former baseball star as a “great kid.”
“He’s an athlete…great smile, great head of hair,” he told WBRZ.
“Just one of the kids you’re so proud of when they cross the stage.”
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