This name probably doesn't ring a bell, yet aficionados of scuba diving or wildlife documentaries know Rob Stewart's surname.
Director of the superb Lords of the Sea, a documentary on the mass exploitation of shark fins, Rob Stewart was a distinguished diver and great defender of the cause of the oceans.
Rob Stewart had been missing since Tuesday, Jan. 31. According to AFP, his body was found on Friday, Feb. 3, some 300 feet (90 meters) from its last known position floating 220 feet (65 meters) deep in the waters of the Keys archipelago, off Florida. He was shooting Sharkwater Extinction, the sequel to The Lords of the Sea that we highly recommend.
If the circumstances of the tragedy remain to be clarified, it nevertheless appears with certainty that it occurred after a dive with oxygen cylinders to explore the wreck of a ship damaged at sea. The three crew members who accompanied Rob Stewart boarded the boat waiting for them safely. The director, on the other hand, would have inexplicably plunged, no longer giving any sign of life.
D Films, the production company associated with the Sharkwater Extinction project, posted the condolence message on social media.
It is a great sorrow to learn of the passing of our friend Rob Stewart. In these moments of pain, our condolences and prayers go out to his family.
Rob Stewart was a true enthusiast who had managed to reconcile cinema and diving. The author and diver fought for the animal cause and especially for the condition of sharks around the world. He has worked with Paul Watson, the creator of Sea Shepherd, an activist for the defense of whales. Through his productions he tried to raise public awareness about this legal carnage, about this destruction of our habitat and our species.
