The family of missing Louisiana baseball star Cameron Robbins have visited the area he was last seen after he jumped off a party boat into shark infested waters.
Cameron Robbins, 18, was last seen in the waters around Athol Island, Bahamas, last week after he leaped from the Blackbeard’s Revenge party boat into shark infested waters.
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.
Speaking to WBRZ, United Cajun Navy Vice President Brian Trascher said that his family traveled to the Bahamas and retraced his final movements.
The Robbins family are pictured here, from L-R, mom Shari, Cole, Cameron, Cassie and dad Will
The shadowy image, circled left, can be seen moving towards Robbins as he swims away from the boat. Despite a life preserver being thrown towards Robbins, he can be seen, right, swimming away from it
He said: ‘It took a lot of strength for them to go out there and stay for a few days.
‘When we offered to take them out in a boat to the area where he went overboard and some of the area they were searching they went.
‘I know had to be very emotional for them, but they went and by Sunday they decided they wanted to go home.
‘Had they found a piece of clothing or any kind of clue, that would cause them to extend that 48-hour period, but if they don’t get any kind of indication then that’s usually when they call it off.’
Robbins’ immediate family include his mom Shari, dad Will, brother Cole and sister Cassie.
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.
Earlier this week, Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) Commodore Raymond King confirmed that the area where Robbins went overboard is ‘really shark infested.’
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 was last seen jumping overboard near Athol Island, not far from where he had been staying on Paradise Island
Cameron Robbins, right, pictured with friends. He had graduated from University Laboratory School in Baton Rouge just days before he disappeared
Robbins, pictured here on the left with his grandmom and brother, had only just graduated from high school days before
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
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.
The 325-square-mile search for Cameron Robbins, 18, is plotted in this chart
Robbins was a standout baseball players for his high school and his coach described him as a ‘fierce competitor’
Robbins was on a graduation trip that involved many local high schools in the Baton Rogue area. The students were staying at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island in Nassau
They plotted and searched a 325-square-mile are searching for the young man and called off their search last week.
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.’
Robbins social media pages highlight his baseball talent, and his love for his friends, and family.
‘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.’
