ISLAMORADA, Fla. – The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a Canadian filmmaker who was reported missing while diving Tuesday near Alligator Reef.
Rob Stewart, 37, of Toronto, was reported missing by a crew member on the Pisces about 5:15 p.m., according to a Coast Guard news release.
The Coast Guard dispatched a boat and helicopter crew to search for Stewart.
Local 10 News reporter Liane Morejon spoke to Stewart's parents Wednesday. They said they are worried for their son but are grateful for all the support they have received.
"If God cares, he's going to bring him back to me," the filmmaker's father, Brian Stewart, said Wednesday.
The Stewarts believe that their son's strong swimming skills and experience diving will help him while he's in the water, but they are asking for the public's help in bringing their son to land.
A business associate and friend said Stewart disappeared shortly after he resurfaced while the boat was turning around to pick him up.
"I had already been out of all my gear, so I just grabbed a mask and a pair of fins and jumped in the water and started swimming in circles to see if I could find him, but I couldn't find him," Brock Cahill said.
The U.S. Navy, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Monroe County Sheriff's Office are assisting in the search.
Stewart directed the 2006 documentary "Sharkwater." He was in the Florida Keys working on the sequel to the movie, scheduled to be released this year.
"It was his mission to change people's perception about the ocean and how we should look after it," Stewart's mother, Sandy Stewart, said.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help pay for the search efforts.