Canadian Director Found Dead in the Florida Keys

The U.S. Coast Guard on Friday announced the body of Canadian filmmaker and marine biologist Rob Stewart had been recovered off the Florida Keys after he earlier went missing during a scuba dive on Tuesday night.

“USCG confirms Key Largo Volunteer Fire Dept dive team has reportedly found Stewart at a depth of 220 feet off FL keys,” the U.S. Coast Guard’s southeast division said on its Twitter account. It added that confirmation by a medical examiner was pending.

Stewart is best known for his 2006 documentary Sharkwater, which debuted at the Toronto Film Festival and explored global shark hunting and its impact on the ocean ecosystem.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it responded Tuesday around 5:13 p.m. to a report of a missing diver near Alligator Reef made by a crewmember aboard the vessel Pisces. Coast Guard boat and helicopter crews joined the search, which continued at daybreak Wednesday.

Stewart, 37, was active in underwater filming and has been swimming with the sharks since he was a child.

Canadian film distributor D Films at the time issued a tweet that urged nearby boats to join the search: “Our friend Rob Stewart (@teamsharkwater) has gone missing diving in ISLAMORADA, Florida. If you have a boat with searchlights, please help.”

Feb. 3, 4:30 p.m. Updated with information from U.S. coast guard.