The parents of a teen who went missing in the Bahamas after jumping overboard a cruise ship for a dare have spoken out.
On May 24 at approximately 9:30 PM, chilling footage showing a teenager jumping off the side of a ship surfaced online after his friends challenged him to do the risky dare.
Cameron Robbins, 18, was celebrating his high school graduation on Blackbeard's Revenge sunset cruise in the Bahamas on Wednesday, May 24, when he reportedly jumped overboard for a dare, prompting a large-scale search for him in the waters.
The teen - who is from Louisiana - had only graduated from the University Laboratory School in Baton Rouge the week before, and was on a trip with students from other local high schools, per WAFB. Video footage later began circulating on social media, showing the moment Robbins jumped ship.
The footage shows the teen in his swimming trunks in the deep waters as shocked onlookers watch the scene in front of them. People were yelling and pleading at him to grab a buoy, but instead, he drifted in the opposite direction before disappearing altogether.
As per Fox News, a woman whose son was friends with Robbins and on the boat told the outlet that "several students tried to grab Robbins before he took the plunge, but he broke free." The woman also added that many of the students were part of a close-knit community that was in shock, disbelief, exhausted, and cold as the U.S. Coast Guard, Royal Bahamas Defence Force and United Cajun Navy searched the waters until the early hours of the morning.
The Coast Guard called off its own search two days later, after scouring over 325 square miles. In a statement, they 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 (RBDF).
"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," it continued.
Now, Robbins' parents, Shari and William, have broken their silence on the devastating loss of their son, who they adopted shortly after his birth. In an obituary, they wrote: "Cameron Crossley Robbins was a beloved grandson, son, brother and friend. He was lost at sea after being reported missing off the coast of Athol Island in the Bahamas on the evening of May 24."
They described how Robbins played sports starting at the pre-school level, and "eventually chose baseball as his first love" and was a three-year varsity letterman in high school. "He was a tough player, battling back from multiple injuries, known to pitch through separated shoulders and broken hands," they said.
Our thoughts go out to Cameron Robbins' family and friends at this tragic time.
