Hope for missing activist’s return

FLORIDA: The parents of award- winning Canadian film-maker Rob Stewart, an environmental activist campaigning to protect sharks, say they are hoping his experience in the water could help him survive after he disappeared off the Florida coast this week.

Stewart, 37, went missing on Tuesday after a deep-water dive to retrieve an anchor. His dive partner collapsed after returning to the boat, while Stewart, who signalled he was okay when he surfaced, later disappeared, his parents said.

“If anybody can survive in the water, it is him,” Brian Stewart, his father said in a phone interview, adding his son was “superfit” and a highly skilled scuba diver.

The US Navy, Customs and Border Protection, Florida wildlife officials, a sheriff ’s office and civilians have joined in the search for Stewart.

“We would not still be searching for him if we could not find him alive,” said officer Eric Woodall, a coastguard spokesperson. – Reuters