[2] Stewart got the idea to make the movie Sharkwater at age 22, when he found illegal longline fishing in the Galapagos Marine Reserve.

His dive leader Peter Sotis fell unconscious while boarding the crew's boat, and as the ship team rushed to provide assistance, Stewart, who was still in the water, vanished.

[12] Paul Watson, a marine wildlife conservation and environmental activist and friend of Stewart, noted that he had been using a rebreather, which could have rendered him unconscious as well.

[13] A search was launched, and on February 3, the United States Coast Guard located Stewart's body in the water approximately 200 feet (61 m) down, close to where he disappeared.

Released months later, the autopsy report from the Monroe County medical examiner said he died from drowning after falling to hypoxia at the surface of the ocean.

It premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival in September, as a "Special Event" screening that also incorporated a memorial tribute to Stewart and his legacy; the official release date was set for October 5.

[23] In October 2018, Robert Osborne's documentary film The Third Dive: The Death of Rob Stewart, investigating the possible role of safety violations by the dive operator in Stewart's death, was broadcast by CBC Television as an episode of the documentary series CBC Docs POV.