Extras!

Recipient of the 2023 Global Book Awards Silver Medal in Suspense Thrillers and 2023 American Fiction Awards Finalist in General Thrillers!!

I often felt the panic and intensity of the situation and had to stop reading to get my bearings and remind myself that it was only a book. – Anthony M. Harrington, author of Lamb of God

Beyond the Grate by Rob Neto is a fast-paced thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. – Joel Silverstein, author of several mixed gas diving manuals and producer Shark Night, Pirahna 3D, and Lake Mead

It doesn’t matter if you are a diver, fascinated by it like me, or just like a good “coming of age” story of sorts with a mystery wrapped around it, you’ll enjoy this one. – Steve Grobschmidt – author of the Gramma Trita Trilogy

The story thread is skillfully woven, creating a web of suspense and intrigue. What captivated me even more was the fact that the actual incident that inspired the story remains unresolved. This intriguing void allowed the author’s creativity to express itself freely, giving birth to a series of captivating events that unfold in a fluid manner. – Laurent Miroult, World-renowned cave diving photographer.

The dead body floating on the other side is more than enough to dissuade his progress, and his awkward fight to the surface with his oxygen tanks nearly depleted is claustrophobic and anxiety ridden. It is scenes like this where Rob Neto really shines. An expert diver himself, Neto really knows how to take his readers to the murky yet wondrous depths. – Darin Miller, author of The Dwayne Morrow Mystery Series

You will find various photos and videos from locations featured in
Beyond the Grate.

Check out this short video about the Ben McDaniel disappearance!

One of the things encountered by Joey in Beyond the Grate is what we call in cave diving a siltout. A siltout occurs when the sediment laying on the floor of the cave gets disturbed and lifts into the passage, obscuring the visibility. Here’s a short video showing a siltout in a cave. You can see the sediment swirling around and getting thicker until the visibility is completely obscured.

Below is a video I took while exploring virgin passage (passage that’s never had someone in it) in a river cave. Cave divers like to claim finds like this. I did so by leaving more than 500 feet of line in this passage with a line arrow with my name written on it at the end. When a cave diver finds a passage with no line in it, it’s most likely virgin passage.
This passage isn’t even that silty compared to the conditions Joey Simmons encounters in Beyond the Grate (see the video above). In this passage I can still see about 15 feet ahead of me.

This video was taken sometime in 2016 (we’ll be posting a new one soon). It was taken during a Discover Scuba session at Morrison Spring, which is featured in Beyond the Grate. You can see the training platform, tree trunk across the opening to the bowl, and the cypress trunks jutting out of the sandy bottom.

We will be returning to Morrison Spring soon to get updated video of the area to include inside the caverns!

Please subscribe to the channel to get updates of future videos.

Photos of Morrison Spring park featured in Beyond the Grate! Plus a bonus video of a Rope Swinger!
Morrison Spring sign at the gate
Aerial of Morrison Spring
Looking out to the basin from inside the cavern
Eel in Morrison Spring
Rinse Station
Rinse Station
Boardwalk – straight to the beach – left to the floating dock
Boardwalk to the beach
Boardwalk to the dock
Ramp to the floating dock
Clear water off the floating dock
Boardwalk back to the parking lot
Cypress with a rope hanging from a small branch 40 feet up
Rope on the small branch. Note the makeshift ladder on the other side of the tree trunk
Note the makeshift ladder on the other side of the tree trunk
About to swing on the rope
Cypress trees
The spring basin
View of the beach
Spring basin with the floating dock in the background
Shallows with the floating dock in the background
Floating dock – it moves up and down along the pole with the change in water level
The beach
The pavilion overlooking the beach
The pavilion overlooking the beach
Photos of the Morrison Spring basin featured in Beyond the Grate
The old cypress trunk across the opening to the bowl
Hanging in the water over the wooden training platform
Swimming over the opening to the bowl
The old cypress trunk = you can really see the size in this photo
Swimming over the bowl that leads to the Morrison cavern opening
A shot looking up out of the bowl leading to the Morrison cavern opening
Swimming over the old cypress trunk
View of the old cypress trunk over the bowl
The wooden training platform in the background
The old cypress trunk with the wooden training platform in the background
Swimming over the old cypress trunk over the bowl
View of the old cypress trunk from inside the Morrison cavern
Photos of the Vortex Spring basin, the location Eddy Spring is based on in Beyond the Grate
The square air box in the background
Descending down the slope from the entry stairs
The top of the chimney leading to the cave in the upper right corner
Swimming over the edge of the chimney leading to the caver opening
Outside the wall that forms one side of the chimney
The square air box in the background
Hanging just over the edge of the chimney that leads to the cave entrance
Swimming over top of the chimney that leads to the cave entrance
Swimming over top of the chimney that leads to the cave entrance
Swimming over the concrete platform where open water classes typically do drills with their instructors. A metal, man-made cavern is set in the background.