Eighteen-year-old high school graduate Cameron Robbins was on a trip with friends in the Bahamas when he jumped off the cruise ship May 24 after what reports say was a dare. In the weeks that have followed, Robbins still hasn’t been found, but newly enhanced video appears to give more clues into what could have happened after he jumped into the water.
Robbins, a recent high school graduate, was taking in a sunset cruise on Blackbeard’s Revenge with his friends near Athol Island, just northeast of Nassau.
According to witnesses, Robbins reportedly jumped off the ship into the water around 11:30 p.m. following a dare, WAFB News reported.
Haunting video was shared online of Robbins jumping off the ship and into the water.
In the footage of the last moments where Robbins was seen, someone aboard the ship can be heard shouting “This kid f—ing jumped off! Oh my f—ing God! Oh, shut the f— up! Oh, bye, bye!”
It appeared the teen swam away from a rescue buoy that was tossed into the water before he disappeared into the dark water.
People who are following the story and are hoping to find out what might have led Robbins to swim away from the floatation device have been analyzing the video footage.
It’s been speculated that Robbins met a shark in the water when he jumped.
It was first suspected that Robbins was pulled away from the water currents and away from the ship and buoy thrown into the water. But others say there is something in the video footage that shows another potential danger — a shark.
In extended videos shared on social media, something appears to pop out of the water briefly near where the buoy was thrown. And it looks like Robbins swam away from whatever might have popped up.
Newly enhanced video has more people convinced a shark was involved.
On YouTube, a channel dedicated to solving crimes shared the same video posted on social media of Robbins in the water, seemingly swimming away from the ship.
However, the channel “enhanced” the video with two different filters it says give a more detailed look at what might have happened, causing Robbins to swim away from the ship and buoy.
“On the embossed side, you can see several bubbles…what do you think that is?” the video description reads. “And does he punch a shark. Let me know what you are thinking!”
The comment section filled with people speculating on what the enhanced videos appear to show.
“I think it was a shark,” one person wrote, “bad luck for sure.”
“I think there’s multiple sharks in the water. By the time we see him I personally think he’s been bitten by smaller ones,” someone else speculated. “He is seen briefly punching something with his right hand. At some lightings I almost think I can see faint bleeding but not sure.”
“I feel bad for the kid who is desperately yelling for him to grab the buoy when he’s already gone,” another commenter wrote.
“You can tell in the X-ray version that he takes his left foot and kicks at something right before the shape comes up near his legs and he disappears,” someone else added. “That was not a normal swimming kick, his leg extends out like he's trying to kick something away. He is kicking at the shark that took him underwater.”
But that opinion isn't universal.
“Kid definitely could have been grabbed by a shark but I don't think that was a shark in the video,” another person shared. “Also, there were like 40 people staring right at him and not one person noticed a shark.”
The footage really is too dark to know for sure what happened.
Although filters have been added in attempt to see more, the reality is that the original is too dark to truly see what might have happened.
The theory that Robbins was attacked by a shark isn’t one that’s being officially investigated at the request of the Robbins’ family, Brian Trascher, representative for the United Cajun Navy, told Fox News.
"None of the experts consulted can definitely say what's in the video due to the quality and length of the video," Trascher said. "The Robbins family has requested that we not entertain that theory any longer, so our official position is that we don't know what happened while Cam was in the water."
A GoFundMe account has been created to support the family. It's raised more than $20,000 thus far.
