This is the sad story of a young American girl who went missing after jumping off a boat into “shark-infested waters” while on vacation in the Bahamas.
Cameron Robbins, then 18 years old, had just finished from high school in Louisiana in May 2023. He went on a cruise with friends to the Caribbean islands to celebrate with them on Blackbeard’s Revenge.
Robbins is said to have ended the trip tragically by jumping off the side of an evening alcohol tour and into the water below.
18-year-old Cameron Robbins (Family Handout)
There were several reports from witnesses that the teenager went too far as a “dare.” The aftermath was filmed and then shared online.
This was the last time Robbins was seen.
Robbins can be seen swimming away from the life ring in the dark water while other people try to get his attention. “This kid jumped off!” In the clip, someone can be heard yelling, “Oh my f***ing God!” while someone else tries to point him toward the life jacket.
The teenager had travelled to Nassau in the The Bahamas after finishing high school (Getty Stock Images)
No one knows what happened to Robbins after the video was over.
Jonathan Chia, a spokesperson for Pirates’ Revenge Ltd, the parent company of the cruise ship, said that Robbins went overboard around 9:40 p.m. local time. He told The Independent, “The crew carried out the’man overboard’ protocol in line with all approved safety procedures and company policies to ensure the best chance of retrieving a person who has gone overboard.”
The US Coastguard and the Royal Bahamas Defense Force then led an official search for Robbins. However, after days of not being able to find the youth, the search was called off.
“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,” the US Coastguard said.
A press release from the time said that RBDF Commodore Raymond King was worried about the presence of sharks in the water. He said, “I can tell you that area where someone reportedly jumped over is also really shark-infested.”
He said: “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.”
People who saw the video were also worried that there might be sharks in the water, like tiger sharks. Many of them thought that the animal that was seen moving in the water in the first few seconds was probably the shark.
Some people thought that the fact that Robbins looked like he was swimming away from the life preserver might be because of a tiger shark.
Robbins was finally thought to be dead, and his family posted a sad farewell to him online.
“He died way too soon, but he had a great life full of family and friends.” He was funny and nice, but he was also serious and driven. “He loved his grandparents very much and was proud of his work,” the remembrance said.
“His family and friends will miss him very much and will always treasure the memories they have of him.”
Later, a GoFundMe page was made to help his family.
Featured Image Credit: Family Handout
