Search and rescue professionals have explained what may have happened to the missing teen who jumped off a cruise ship for a dare.
On May 24 at approximately 9:30 PM, 18-year-old Cameron Robbins reportedly leaped off the Blackbeard’s Revenge sunset cruise into the dark waters near Athol Island, Bahamas, after his friends challenged him to do the risky dare.
Haunting footage taken moments after the jump was shared online showed the Louisiana teen - who was a few feet away - in just his swimming trunks in the middle of the ocean.
In the clip, he was looking up at the shocked passengers - who were reportedly students from other local high schools - onboard who were yelling and pleading at him to grab a buoy, but instead, he drifted in the opposite direction.
Robbins was celebrating his high school graduation in the Bahamas after graduating from the University Laboratory School in Baton Rouge the week before, per WAFB.
According to 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 in shock and disbelief as the U.S. Coast Guard, Royal Bahamas Defence Force, and United Cajun Navy scoured 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.
As there has been no trace of Robbins, many experts are weighing in on the social media speculation that the teenager may have had a tragic fate in the "shark-infested waters".
Brian Trascher - vice president and spokesperson for the United Cajun Navy - shared his expertise with The New York Post and said: "We’ve consulted with oceanography and fisheries experts.
"They don’t believe … that he came in contact with any time of shark or predatory marine life," he continued. "And until we get a better video or something more conclusive, that’s going to be our position."
Butch Hendrick - president and founder of public safety dive training company Lifeguard Systems - familiarized himself with the Caribbean waters and told the publication that he doesn't hear about shark attacks in the Bahamas.
He stated that cruise ships like the one Robbins and his classmates had been on, often serve food that is discarded into the water. This can attract marine life sharks that are "smart enough to realize that’s a boat that comes out all the time and it’s going to have food coming off."
However, Hendrick spoke about the internet speculation surrounding the viral footage of Robbins and said the object seen in the dark waters with the teen was not telling of a shark.
"The tendency is not that [the shark] came in, took him, and took him to the depth," Hendricks went on, noting that there was a lack of blood in the water. "They would hit him, that could be enough to totally incapacitate [him]. That could be enough to cause him to drown right there."
Furthermore, the expert said that the Coast Guard probably searched the water surface for any evidence floating in the water. He added that whether or not Robbins' body submerged after leaping from the boat, his remains would've drifted forward - unless he suffered any wounds during his time in the water.
"This happened well over a week and a half ago," Hendricks said. "In that water temperature, he should have floated.
"It could very well mean the body is gone forever," he continued. "It’s been too long for that temperature and for that depth unless the water is very deep there - unless we’re talking water that’s greater than 100 feet. That body should have been up - unless it can’t float."
Hendricks also mentioned the 200-foot underwater channel near where the teenager went into the water. If he did sail into the channel, then "he’s not coming up," according to the specialist.
Our thoughts go out to Cameron Robbins' family and friends at this difficult time.
