Based on the provocative film documentary of the same name, The Third Dive investigates the shocking death of a world-renowned conservation activist.

When experienced diver and award-winning filmmaker Rob Stewart (Sharkwater and Sharkwater: Extinction) drowned while diving off the coast of the Florida Keys in 2017, it was a shock to the world’s environmental movement.

Reports suggested that Stewart was encouraged to perform a dangerous and ultimately fatal dive by a reckless Svengali-like instructor named Peter Sotis. Some bloggers went so far as to report that Sotis survived the dive by clawing his way onto the boat first, leaving Stewart to drown.

A civil case was launched which directed blame at Horizon Divers, the company that had taken Stewart out on the dive. The allegation was that they had not done their jobs properly and left him to die in the water.

Through interviews and investigative reporting, The Third Dive is a compelling read that attempts to uncover the mysterious and disturbing circumstances surrounding Rob Stewart’s untimely death.

Robert Osborne is the senior producer of Dam Builder Productions and boasts over 30 years of experience in long-format television. During much of his career, he served as an investigative journalist for the CTV show W5. Additionally, he has contributed to Marketplace and Pacific Report. Robert specializes in directing underwater-based documentaries and holds nearly a dozen certifications, including one in cave diving. He has garnered numerous accolades, including more than half a dozen awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association of Canada, an award from the Canadian Association of Journalists, an Award of Merit from the Governor General of Canada, and a Canadian Screen Award for best writing in a documentary. He has also received multiple Gemini award nominations. Robert's notable films include Malcom is Missing (CBC, 2023), Havana Syndrome (CBC, 2020), The Third Dive (CBC, 2018), Unstoppable (CBC, 2016), Mine Quest (Discovery, 2016), Unlocking Alex (CTV, 2012), Haiti’s Armageddon (CTV, 2010), Beyond Justice (CTV, 2009), Murders in Mexico (CTV, 2007), Heart of Darkness (CTV, 2005), and Silent Alarms (CTV, 2000). Together with his wife, Jari Osborne, Robert's production company, Dam Builder Productions, has created documentaries for CBC's The Nature of Things and the Discovery Channel. He resides in Toronto, Ontario.

Robert Osborne's profile page

"When Rob Stewart stepped on board my ship Ocean Warrior in 2002 I saw a man driven by three things: science, adventure and a deep love for things that many people saw as dangerously dark monsters. It was Rob's daunting ambition to change the world's view of sharks. He wanted us to see what he saw – beauty, mystery, and in his own words, perfection. Fifteen years later, thanks to his skills as filmmaker and storyteller, combined with his courage and expertise as a diver, he realized the fruition of his quest when he succeeded in changing the world's perception of sharks. It was a conservation crusade of passion for which he sacrificed his life. I participated in the search that found his body on the seafloor, an event out of which rose questions, mysteries and conspiracy theories. Robert Osborne set out to find answers, and in this book The Third Dive we now have a conclusion to the life story of one of the great heroes of marine conservation." —Captain Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

"A real-life underwater mystery of why Rob Stewart died. Like the rebreather itself, the book mixes facts, characters and human foibles into a fascinating yarn about Stewart's death. Scuba divers will appreciate the discussion of rebreathers and the stories of Stewart's many dives. The book gives real insights into human foibles that lead to disaster." —William McKeever, filmmaker, founder of Ocean Guardian, and author of Emperors of the Deep: Sharks — The Ocean's Most Mysterious, Most Misunderstood, and Most Important Guardians