The search for missing Toronto filmmaker Rob Stewart, who disappeared off the Florida coast, was set to continue at dawn Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
A coast guard team remained out on the water overnight, looking for traces of the 37-year-old as the search entered its third day. Stewart hasn’t been seen since 5 p.m. Tuesday, when he didn’t resurface while scuba diving in an area called Alligator Reef.
“As long as there’s a chance for survival, we’re going to search,” said U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Jonathan Lally.
“We remain hopeful we’re going to find him alive.”
Helicopter crews relaunched their efforts as the sun rose Thursday morning, the coast guard said. The type of diving suit Stewart was wearing makes it difficult to search for him with thermal imaging, so that type of search was put on hold overnight, according to an update posted to Stewart’s Facebook page by his friends and family.
Stewart, best known for his documentary Sharkwater, was in the sunshine state to film a sequel called Sharkwater: Extinction. Friends say he was scuba diving near the Queen of Nassau shipwreck in the Florida Keys and was less than 10 kilometres from shore when he apparently slipped underwater.
“He had surfaced and gave the OK sign and then he was gone,” his sister, Alexandra Stewart, said Wednesday.
“The other diver got on board and was struggling to get on board and then fell unconscious.”
The crew of the boat lost sight of Stewart amid the commotion, she added, and there was concern her brother had lost consciousness as well.
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.
Stewart’s sister and parents travelled to Florida when they heard of his disappearance, and are now helping manage search efforts.
A gofundme.com page has also been set up in case search efforts are prolonged. By early Thursday morning, the site had collected over $90,000 in donations.
The search team is using a helicopter, boats and divers, and includes members of the U.S. navy, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
With files from Peter Edwards and the Canadian Press.
With files from Peter Edwards and the Canadian Press.
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