Extras! – Beyond the Grate

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!

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