On Tuesday, 31st January, 2017, the ‘Sharkwater’ filmmaker and environmental activist, Rob Stewart disappeared during a dive off the coast of Florida. But on Wednesday also the family of Rob Stewart remained hopeful he would be found, after went missing.
A spokesperson for U.S. Coast Guard said that, efforts to rescue Stewart would continue throughout the night and into Thursday morning.
Victoria Gormley, a spokesperson of the family, said on Wednesday evening, “They’re trying their utmost to be as positive as possible. They’re clearly devastated. This is a scary situation.”
Stewart disappeared on Tuesday following an incident that left his diving partner unconscious, his sister said.
Stewart, aged 37, was in Florida to film a documentary called Sharkwater: Extinction when he apparently slipped into the water during a dive near the Florida Keys.
The crew of the boat lost sight of Stewart amid the commotion, she said. Stewart’s sister said there is a concern that her brother lost consciousness as well.
“We’ve heard that people can survive more than 72 hours in these waters,” she said. “It’s still a surface search, which is great news.”
The dive was her brother’s third of the day, she said, noting that he and his diving partner had gone down about 70 metres.
Stewart is an experienced diver who started underwater photography at age 13 and had qualified as a scuba instructor trainer by 18.
Alexandra Stewart said her parents and her husband are in Florida helping to manage search efforts, but they still need those with experience to join the search which is being co-ordinated by the U.S. Coast Guard.A gofundme.com site has been set up in the case of prolonged search.
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The search team is using helicopter, boats and divers, and includes the members of U.S. navy, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Coast guard spokesperson Jonathan Lally said, “They’re going to be out there all night long.”
On earlier Wednesday, a coast guard spokesperson said that, the search would continue “as long as there’s a chance of survival” and “we remain hopeful that we’ll be able to find him alive.”
Stewart is well known for his documentaries, which include Revolution, and his memoir, Save the Humans.
He is a global wildlife photographer, he has devoted his career in warning the world about threats facing sharks and other ocean life, as well as humanity.
His 2006 documentary Sharkwater, which debuted at Toronto International Film Festival, became an international hit and prompted people all around the world to lobby their governments for bans on shark finning.
Stewart said that, he and his colleagues risked their lives to make the film, while visiting a Costa Rican warehouse that trafficked in illegal shark fin and confronting poachers on the high seas.
Stewart’s parents, Sandra and Brian, are co-CEOS of a media group which publishes magazines distributed in movie theatres.
By Mrudula.
