ISLAMORADA, Fla. - The body of Toronto filmmaker and conservationist Rob Stewart, who had a biology degree from Western University, was "found peacefully in the ocean" days after he went missing while diving off the coast of Florida, his family said.
A Facebook post by Stewart's sister, Alexandra Stewart, asked for privacy in order to grieve.
"There are no words," the post said. "We are so deeply grateful to everyone who helped search, and happy that Rob passed while doing what he loved."
The director's death was also confirmed by a publicist.
The U.S. Coast Guard said a body was found 90 metres from where Stewart was last seen. It tweeted that Stewart's body was "reportedly" found 65 metres underwater.
Stewart had been scuba diving with friends on Tuesday when he was last seen. They were diving deep -- about 70 metres down, which the coast guard said is deeper than many people are able to go -- near Alligator Reef in the Florida Keys.
His diving partner lost consciousness as he got into the dive boat, his sister previously told The Canadian Press. Coast Guard Capt. Jeffrey Janszen said that as others tended to the man and gave him oxygen, Stewart disappeared.
In the wake of his disappearance, support flooded in for the missing filmmaker. Nearly $200,000 had been donated to an online fundraising page for the search for Stewart by Saturday. The person organizing the page said any leftover money would be given to Fin Free, a charitable organization that works for the protection of sharks.
Stewart was best-known for his film "Sharkwater," which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival and became an international hit. It prompted people around the world to lobby their governments for bans on shark finning. He had been in Florida filming a follow-up movie to his 2006 documentary "Sharkwater" called "Sharkwater Extinction," his sister said.
He devoted his career to warning the world about threats facing sharks, other ocean life and humanity in general.
