A year ago
Footage shows Robbins swimming in the water as a life preserver is thrown out to him and classmates tell him to grab on. But the teenager seems to be fixated on a shadowy shape which appears in the water and immediately begins swimming away.
The video has sparked speculation online that Robbins may have met his end after a shark went after him. People have claimed they can clearly see a shark in the video.
Providing an update yesterday, Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) Commodore Raymond King confirmed that the area where Robbins went overboard is 'really shark infested.'
Cameron Robbins, right, pictured with friends. He had graduated from University Laboratory School in Baton Rouge just days before he disappeared
On social media, one person said: 'The video doesn't lie, he was attacked by a shark and taken under.'
Another commented: You can see the shark to the left of the video' and another was adamant they 'saw the fin' in the short video.
The Bahamas is home to highly aggressive sharks including tiger and bull sharks.
Witnesses claimed Robbins was acting on a dare when he jumped overboard at 11.30pm from the Blackbeard's Revenge sunset cruise ship.
Robbins had graduated from the University High in Baton Rouge just days before and was seen wearing his robe and smiling in an Instagram photo.
The star athlete was celebrating with dozens of other seniors from other Baton Rouge high schools including U-High, Episcopal, Catholic, and St. Joseph’s Academy, a parent said.
The students had only arrived on the island hours before the pirate-themed sunset boat excursion and had been staying at the Atlantis Paradise Island in Nassau.
After Robbins had jumped, the boat and its crew members tried to locate him along with multiple agencies, including the US Coast Guard.
Cmdre King provided an update Monday on the situation after the search was suspended last week.
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.
'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.'
The US Coast Guard District Seven deployed multiple search and rescue assets in response to obtaining assistance from their partners in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.
They plotted and searched a 325-square-mile are searching for the young man and called off their search last week.
Robbins, pictured here on the left with his mom and brother, had only just graduated from high school days before
'Our Coast Guard command center and aircrews based in Miami supported RBDF search and rescue efforts since the initial report Wednesday evening, and continued through Friday evening,' a statement from the US Coast Guard reads.
'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.'
After the search was called off on Friday, Robbins' family said: '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.'
University Lab School Director Kevin George said Robbins attended the school for all 13 years of his education.
In a statement last week, he said: 'In times like these, we must come together and support each other. Words fall short of expressing the worry our entire school community is feeling.'
Robbins social media pages highlight his baseball talent, and his love for his friends, and family.
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