Experts say they don’t believe that baseball star Cameron Robbins, who jumped off of a cruise ship near the Bahamas as a dare, met his fate after shark attacks.
According to New York Post, Butch Hendrick, the president and founder of Lifeguard Systems, said shark attacks typically do not happen in the Bahamas. Hendrick said he has dedicated decades to gaining extensive knowledge and familiarity with the waters in the Caribbean.
“I rarely hear about shark attacks in the Bahamas.”
Hendrick also pointed, however, out that boats like the one Robbins was on often dispose of or spill food into the water, which can attract marine life.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Robbins, who had just graduated from University Laboratory School (U-High), jumped off a ship while aboard the Blackbeard’s Revenge cruise on May 24. A video obtained by DailyMail showed Robbins splashing in the water near the boat before he vanished.
At the time, Robbins and students from other schools were on a graduation trip at the Atlantis Paradise Island in Nassau. The group had arrived on the island only a few hours before the boat excursion.
The video captured in the aftermath of the jump shows Cameron ignoring pleas from onlookers to seize a buoy and swim in the opposite direction. Social media users surmised that a reflection near the boat’s hull could have potentially been a shark that frightened him away.
Meanwhile, according to the Post, the vice president and spokesperson for the United Cajun Navy, Brian Thrasher, said that “oceanography and fisheries experts” also do not believe that Cameron “came in contact with any type of shark or predatory marine life attack.”
“And until we get better video or something more conclusive, that’s going to be our position.”
At 11:30 p.m. on May 24, Royal Bahamas Defence Force personnel contacted watchstanders from Coast Guard District Seven, informing them that someone had fallen off the cruise ship.
According to a witness, crews made multiple unsuccessful attempts to locate Cameron as the boat, resembling a pirate ship, stayed in the area for several hours. The U.S. Coast Guard ultimately called the exhaustive search off, according to CBS 9.
U-High baseball coach Justin Morgan issued a statement following the tragedy.
“Cameron is a kid who is truly loved by his teammates, teachers, and fellow classmates. 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.”
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[Featured image: Cameron Robbins/U-High]
