cruise passenger killed by shark in bahamas

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Cameron Robbins’ parents break silence after 18-year-old jumps off Bahamas party boat

Online speculation has swirled over whether cameron was attacked by a shark in the water, article bookmarked.

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The parents of an 18-year-old high school graduate who fell overboard on a sunset cruise in the Bahamas have broken their silence.

Cameron Robbins went on a trip to the Bahamas to celebrate his graduation from the University Laboratory School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He and several friends were aboard the Blackbeard’s Revenge cruise on 24 May when Cameron allegedly jumped off the boat on a dare.

The US Coast Guard and Royal Bahamas Defence Force spent several days searching for Cameron before suspending their efforts on 27 May. Following his presumed death, a memorial was planned for the teenager on Sunday (4 June).

Speaking from their home ahead of the service, Cameron’s parents William and Shari Robbins, both 54, told The New York Post they were aware of the impact their “funny and kind-hearted” son had made on people following updates of the tragic incident believed to have cut his life short.

“We are just mourning our son right now,” Ms Robbins told the Post . “We appreciate you calling. Maybe we will be able to talk more later.”

“We appreciate everyone’s support,” Mr Robbins also said.

The University Lab School Director Kevin George told WAFB that Cameron had attended the school for 13 years. The teen also played baseball for the school, which operates as part of Louisiana State University.

“Words fall short of expressing the worry our entire school community is feeling. Extra counselors will be available on campus to speak with students and faculty who are struggling to process this news. Our thoughts are with the Robbins family, and we ask that you keep them in your thoughts as well,” Mr George wrote.

The graduation trip was not organised by the school.

According to his obituary, Cameron was not only an accomplished athlete but also loved country music and was a “big star” in karaoke.

“He was a tough player, battling back from multiple injuries, known to pitch through separated shoulders and broken hands. He hoped to continue his baseball career at the college level,” the tribute read. “...Though he left this world far too soon, he lived a life full of good friends and family.”

In a statement provided to The Independent, Jonathan Chia, a representative for Pirates’ Revenge Ltd, the parent company of Blackbeard’s Revenge, said Cameron went overboard at approximately 9.40pm local time in Montagu Bay off Athol Island in the Bahamas.

Video captured in the moments after Cameron jumped into the water showed the 18-year-old swimming around the vessel as passengers on the sunset cruise yelled at him. In the footage, individuals can be heard urging Cameron to grab onto the buoy that they threw into the water for him.

“The crew executed the ‘man overboard’ protocol in line with all approved safety procedures and company policies to ensure the best chance of retrieving an individual who has gone overboard,” Mr Chia said.

After Coast Guard crews searched more than 325 square miles, they concluded their efforts with the Royal Bahamas Defence Force on 27 May. Although searches have ended, the US Coast Guard is asking anyone with new information to contact the District Seven watchstanders at 305-415-6800.

A GoFundMe has been started to benefit Cameron’s family as they deal with the aftermath of the difficult situation.

Meanwhile, online speculation has swirled over whether Cameron was attacked by a shark in the water.

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A shark attacked and killed a Pennsylvania mother on vacation in the Bahamas

A bull shark attacked and killed a 58-year-old mother of three from Erie, Pennsylvania, who was snorkeling with her family in the Bahamas, officials say.

The victim, Caroline DiPlacido, was employed at Gannon University, where, for 13 years, she worked as a project coordinator for Gannon’s Office of Community and Government Relations.

Police said the victim and her family had arrived in the Bahamas the morning of Sept. 6. They set out on a tour with a local snorkel excursion company that afternoon. The attack occurred while the group was snorkeling near Green Cay, in the waters northwest of Rose Island in the Bahamas.

During a press conference on Sept. 6, Royal Bahamas Police Force Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings said that sometime around 2 p.m., DiPlacido's family witnessed her being attacked by a bull shark. They were unable to fend off the shark before it inflicted "serious injuries to the left side of her body." 

Soon after the attack, DiPlacido's family and an operator of the excursion company pulled her aboard and took her to the closest docking facility.

Skippings said that emergency responders had come to the scene but “confirmed no vital signs of life” at the time.

Skippings added that they are investigating DiPlacido's death and that the particular beach where she was attacked had been closed off to any type of snorkeling activities. She did not know if or when it would be reopened.

On Sunday, Sept. 4, DiPlacido and her family took sail on a seven-night cruise from Port Canaveral, Florida. They sailed as guests with  Harmony of the Seas , a cruise ship owned by Royal Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean confirmed the tourist's death in a statement provided to NBC News.

"While on an independent shore excursion in Nassau, Bahamas, a guest sailing on Harmony of the Seas experienced injuries from a shark," the statement reads. "After arriving at a local hospital for treatment, the guest passed away from their injuries. Royal Caribbean is providing support and assistance to the guest’s loved ones during this difficult time."

In a statement to the campus community obtained by NBC News, Gannon University remembered DiPlacido.

“Along with her efforts to further the mission of Erie-GAINS and Our West Bayfront, Caroline was a powerful presence of kindness and friendship to colleagues, students, and the wider community and cherished many family ties to Gannon. The news is devastating, and she will be missed.”

The statement added, "Let us remember Caroline with affection and hope."

According to  National Geographic , bull sharks are typically known for living in high-population areas. Experts consider them to be the world’s most dangerous sharks.  They're able to live in both saltwater and freshwater, which enables them to migrate into river systems and estuaries.

Editor’s Note (Sept. 8, 2022, at 8 a.m. ET): This story has been updated to reflect the name of the woman killed by the shark, her place of employment and that she was a mother of three.

Alex Portée is a senior trending reporter at TODAY Digital and is based in Los Angeles.

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U.S. tourist killed in Bahamas shark attack

An American tourist was killed in a shark attack Tuesday in the Bahamas.

The woman was snorkeling with a group of five to seven relatives when a bull shark attacked her shortly after 2 p.m. at Green Cay, Royal Bahamas Police Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings said at a news conference. The area is about a half-mile northwest of Rose Island, a private island off Nassau.

While authorities have not released the victim's name, the woman's employer identified her as Caroline DiPlacido. The employer, Gannon University, said she was vacationing with her family in the Bahamas at the time of the attack.

"Caroline was a powerful presence of kindness and friendship to colleagues, students, and the wider community and cherished many family ties to Gannon," the school's chaplain said in a message to the university, where DiPlacido was a project coordinator for the Erie campus’ office of community and government relations. "The news is devastating, and she will be missed."

The woman, who officials said was 58, had no vital signs after the attack, Skippings said.

She arrived in the Bahamas on a cruise ship Tuesday morning, Skippings said. A private tour boat took her group snorkeling off Rose Island.

Family members witnessed the attack. Along with a tour operator, they pulled her from the water and took her by boat to Fort Montagu on Nassau, Skippings said.

The area was cordoned off and closed indefinitely to snorkelers.

"It's just an unfortunate situation," Skippings said.

According to the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida, the last recorded shark attack in the Bahamas was in 2018. It says bull sharks are among the most common when it comes to unprovoked attacks on humans.

They are large, capable of inflicting serious injuries, commonly found in areas where humans enter the water, and have teeth designed to shear rather than hold, the museum says in a primer on species .

Dennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital. 

Shark attacks and kills Pennsylvania woman snorkeling in the Bahamas, officials say

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A shark attacked and killed a U.S. cruise ship passenger who was snorkeling in waters around the Bahamas on Tuesday, authorities said.

The incident involved a 58-year-old woman from Pennsylvania and occurred at a popular snorkeling spot near Green Cay in the northern Bahamas, police spokeswoman Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings told The Associated Press.

“It’s unfortunate,” she said.

Skippings said the woman’s family identified it as a bull shark.

Royal Caribbean International said in a statement to the AP that the woman died after arriving at a local hospital for treatment and that the company is helping her loved ones. They said the guest was on an independent shore excursion in Nassau and had been sailing on Harmony of the Seas, which is on a seven-night trip after departing Florida on Sunday.

Summer of sharks: Has there been an uptick in attacks? Here's what we know   

Most shark attacks in the Caribbean have occurred in the Bahamas. Two were reported in 2019, one of them fatal. That incident involved a Southern California woman who was on vacation and was attacked by three sharks near Rose Island, just a half mile from the site of Tuesday’s attack.

In December 2020, a fatal shark attack was reported in the French Caribbean territory of St. Martin, the first such incident in that region.

Overall, at least 32 shark attacks have been reported in the Bahamas since 1749 and 13 attacks in Cuba during that time period, including one in 2019, according to the Florida-based International Shark Attack File.

What lies beneath coastal waters?  Beware of sharks swimming closer to shore   

American alligator attacks are rare.  What to know about safety, size and location in graphics   

Michael Heithaus, a marine biologist at Florida International University in Miami, said in a phone interview that the high number of attacks in the Bahamas is probably the result of a lot of people in the water in that area and a robust marine ecosystem.

He said the Bahamas has a variety of shark species, the majority of which do not pay attention to people, except for bull sharks and tiger sharks.

“They get to very large sizes, and they eat big prey,” Heithaus said, adding that sharks have incredible sensory systems and can be attracted to food, sounds and smells in the water.

What's everyone talking about?  Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day   

But overall, shark attacks are rare, he said.

Worldwide, there were 137 shark attacks last year, 73 of them unprovoked, according to the International Shark Attack File.

Watch CBS News

Cruise ship passenger killed by shark while snorkeling in the Bahamas

By CBS Miami Team

September 6, 2022 / 10:54 PM EDT / AP

MIAMI - A shark attacked and killed a Royal Caribbean cruise ship passenger who was snorkeling in the Bahamas.

The incident involved a 58-year-old woman from Pennsylvania and occurred Tuesday at a popular snorkeling spot near Green Cay in the northern Bahamas, police spokeswoman Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings told The Associated Press.

"It's unfortunate," she said.

Skippings said the woman's family identified it as a bull shark.

Royal Caribbean International said in a statement to the AP that the person died after arriving at a local hospital for treatment and that the company is helping their loved ones. They said the guest was participating in an independent shore excursion in Nassau and had been sailing on Harmony of the Seas, which is on a seven-night trip after departing Florida on Sunday.

The majority of shark attacks in the Caribbean have occurred in the Bahamas, with two reported in 2019, one of them fatal. That incident involved a Southern California woman who was on vacation and was attacked by three sharks near Rose Island, located just a half mile from where Tuesday's attack occurred.

In December 2020, a fatal shark attack was reported in the French Caribbean territory of St. Martin, the first such incident in that region.

Overall, at least 32 shark attacks have been reported in the Bahamas since 1749, followed by 13 attacks in Cuba during that time period, including one in 2019, according to the Florida-based International Shark Attack File.

Michael Heithaus, a marine biologist at Florida International University in Miami, said in a phone interview that the high number of attacks in the Bahamas is likely linked to the fact that there are a lot of people in the water in that area and that it has a robust marine ecosystem.

He said the Bahamas has a variety of shark species, the majority of which do not pay attention to people, except for bull sharks and tiger sharks.

"They get to very large sizes, and they eat big prey," Heithaus said, adding that sharks have incredible sensory systems and can be attracted to food, sounds, and smells in the water.

But overall, shark attacks remain rare, he stressed.

Worldwide, there were 137 shark attacks last year, 73 of them unprovoked, according to the International Shark Attack File.

The CBS Miami team is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on CBSMiami.com.

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