While celebrating his high school graduation, a teen boy jumped off a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean on a dare. Moments after his classmates threw him a life preserver, video footage captured the boy’s ominous outcome.
Cameron Robbins, 18, was the pride and joy of his parents. According to those around him, the Louisiana teen was attractive, charismatic, kind, and a talented athlete. Having just graduated from University Lab School in Baton Rouge just days earlier, the handsome teen was ready to celebrate his hard work and stellar accomplishments. Tragically, this would be the last time anyone would see him.
Robbins arrived in the Bahamas with his graduating class for a sunset cruise. After setting sail near Athol Island, he would succumb to the peer pressure of a dare, which led to him either falling or jumping from the sunset cruise into the black waters at around 11:30 p.m., USA Today reported. What happened next is nothing short of a nightmare.
Video captured Robbins just after he had landed in the water and peers had tossed him a life preserver. Shockingly, instead of swimming toward the flotation device, the teen frantically turns and kicks away from the boat. Within seconds, he disappears into the darkness of the vast oceanic expanse to the horror of everyone on board.
For two days, the Royal Bahamas Defense Force and the U.S. Coast Guard scoured 325 square miles of ocean but found no sign of Robbins, leading the agencies to call off the search. At first, his peers couldn’t understand why he would swim away from safety rather than toward the preserver they had thrown. Then, a closer look at the video footage one of his classmates took revealed a terrifying possibility.
Viewers are pointing to a glistening figure in the water just feet away and heading toward the life preserver. The image appears to be a shark, which would explain why Robbins seems to focus on the creature while swimming in the opposite direction as his peers yelled for him to stop, according to the Daily Mail.
Disturbingly, RBDF Commodore Raymond King confirmed that the area in which Robbins’ was last seen is known for harboring aggressive species like tiger and bull sharks.
“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,” Cmdre King said. “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.”
Robbins’ parents were devastated by their son’s disappearance and the decision to call off the search. The family expressed their gratitude to the agencies involved before confirming that they are returning home.
“The Bahamas government has called off the rescue for Cameron and we are returning to Baton Rouge. We want to thank the Bahamas government, the US Coast Guard, the United Cajun Navy, and Congressman Garrett Graves for everything they have done for us. In this time of grief we thank our family, friends and well-wishers for granting us the privacy we need to properly remember our son and mourn his loss,” the family said.
Robbins’ friends and loved ones seek to remember the teen and his accomplishments during his short life.
“Cameron is a kid who is truly loved by his teammates, teachers, and fellow classmates,” his devastated U-High baseball coach Justin Morgan said. “He is a fierce competitor on the baseball field. He is a hard worker both on and off of the playing field. Our school community is struggling right now but hoping for the very best. Our thoughts and prayers have been and will remain with the Robbins family during this difficult time.”
While examples of miraculous survival have occurred, they are uncommon. In the last decade alone, just 48 out of 212 individuals who’ve gone overboard have been rescued, leaving little hope for the teen’s family.
Regardless of what happened to Robbins, his loss is absolutely devastating. He has left a void behind in the lives of everyone who knew him. Sadly, his tragic end has served as a dire lesson for young people to not only resist peer pressure but also to be mindful of the pressure they place on others.
