Award winning author Rob Neto has won awards for his first two novels. Beyond the Grate received the Silver Award in Suspense Thrillers from the 2023 Global Book Awards. Into the Darkness Beyond received the Bronze Award in Suspense Action from the 2024 Global Book Awards.
Rob Neto was born in Piscataway, NJ to immigrant parents who had come to the USA from Portugal. He grew up speaking Portuguese at home and learned English from watching Saturday morning cartoons. He lived his entire childhood life in Piscataway where he was a member of the high school drama club and marching band. He was cast in several productions in high school to include Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.
Rob enlisted in the US Army in 1989 and served in both Military Intelligence and Military Police units. He was called up on orders during Operation Desert Storm but the conflict ended less than a week before he was set to deploy. He did receive the National Defense Service Medal for serving during this conflict for his service in protecting Fort Huachuca, the US Army Strategic Communications Command headquarters and US Army Intelligence Center. After 3 years he received an honorable medical discharge for injuries received during his time in service.
After his time in service, Rob went on to earn multiple degrees to include a Bachelor’s in Business Administration, Bachelor’s in Nursing, and a Master’s in Literature. He taught English Composition and Literature classes as well as Business Administration classes at several community colleges in Arizona for more than 10 years. Rob worked as a registered nurse for almost 20 years before retiring to pursue his passion.
Rob has written both fiction and non-fiction books. His first book, Sidemount Diving The Almost Comprehensive Guide was published in 2015 and was a great success. Over the next few years more and more manufacturers introduced sidemount rigs and different techniques were introduced and evolved. This brought about the 2nd edition of Sidemount Diving in 2020. The 2nd edition is more than twice as long and contains significantly more information.
Sidemount Diving The Almost Comprehensive Guide has been called one of the best and most comprehensive books on sidemount diving by InDepth Magazine. This comprehensive guide has sold thousands of copies in over a dozen countries worldwide! It has also been translated into Dutch, German, and Spanish and is currently being translated into additional languages.
Rob has been scuba diving for 20 years and cave and sidemount diving for almost as long. When Rob began diving sidemount there were only two commercially sold sidemount rigs, very few sidemount divers, and even less instructors. There was also only one book published by a training agency that provided a brief overview. After teaching himself by trial and error how to maximize the use of a sidemount system Rob decided to become a sidemount instructor. At the time only one agency offered a sidemount class and there were very few instructor trainers. Rob traveled several hours to meet and dive with an instructor trainer and earn his instructor rating. After teaching sidemount for a few years Rob decided to put his teachings to paper and publish a book.
Rob has also spent extensive time exploring caves throughout the world. He has explored and lined several miles of virgin passage in Florida, Mexico, and France. He considers his work in the Cueva Quebrada cave system located in Cozumel, Mexico to be his most successful exploration project. When he began diving Cueva Quebrada there was only about 29,000 feet of lined and mapped passage in that system. Because of Rob’s efforts, Cueva Quebrada now measures in at more than 85,000 feet of lined and mapped passage. This includes la Sección Escondido, which Rob found in 2016. This section alone contains more than 30,000 feet of lined and mapped passage, exceeding the original known length of the entire system.
Rob has also ventured into the world of fiction. He was largely influenced to begin writing fiction when he read how John Grisham had come up with the idea for his first novel – A Time to Kill. A Time to Kill was inspired by true events that occurred in a small town in Mississippi. Grisham asked himself how he thought people would react if the father of a girl who was assaulted stood trial for taking justice into his own hands and killing the men who assaulted his daughter.
Rob’s first novel, the two-time award-winning Beyond the Grate, was released in July 2023. It is an award-winning thriller that plunges readers into the shadowy depths of Vortex Spring and the mystery surrounding diver Ben McDaniel’s 2010 disappearance. In real life, Ben vanished without a trace, leaving his truck parked nearby and unanswered questions lingering in the Florida waters. Inspired by this true event, Rob crafts a gripping tale of deceit, danger, and the dark corners of human nature. Joey Simmons, a newly certified diver, is lured into the world of extreme dives far beyond his expertise. Manipulated by a dangerous man, Joey discovers something in the forbidden depths of Vortex Spring he was never meant to find. His discovery sets off a chain of events that forces him to lie to everyone he loves—and fight to keep them safe. Fast-paced, chilling, and full of heart-stopping moments,Beyond the Grate will leave you questioning where the truth ends and the story begins. Beyond the Grate has won 2 awards – the 2023 Silver Global Book Award in Suspense Thrillers and was an Awards Finalist in the American Fiction Awards in Thrillers.
Rob published a sequel to Beyond the Grate titled Into the Darkness Beyond. This is a story also inspired by true events. Around 2012, there were several cave diving rescues that occurred in the caves of Merritt’s Mill Pond by the same cave diver. In the spirit of John Grisham, Rob asked himself what if these weren’t really rescues. What if the diver just happened to be in the right place at the right time and claimed he rescued these divers. And so a story was born. Into the Darkness Beyond is a thriller that takes place mostly in Marianna, Florida, along with some visits back to Eddy Spring from Beyond the Grate.
Joey Simmons thought he was finally proving himself as a cave diver—until his latest dive nearly killed him. Struggling to recover from the disaster, Joey finds himself facing an even bigger challenge: someone else took credit for rescuing him and twisted the story, destroying his reputation. Now, Joey is determined to clear his name and prove he’s more than his mistakes. With the help of his fearless girlfriend Lindsey Carter and two unexpected allies, Joey dives into a treacherous plan to uncover the truth. But as the lies unravel, Lindsey is pulled into the line of fire, and the stakes turn deadly. Packed with heart-pounding action, perilous underwater caves, and the complexities of human trust, Into the Darkness Beyond is a must-read for fans of high-stakes thrillers where survival is never guaranteed.
Into the Darkness Beyond won a 2024 Bronze Global Book Award in Suspense Thrillers. Get ready for some true suspense.
Rob’s next book, Beyond Hope, takes Joey Simmons and Lindsey Carter, along with Gary, one of the characters from Into the Darkness Beyond, to the caves of Cozumel. Rob has been going to Cozumel to explore the underground rivers located beneath the jungle since 2011. He has discovered more than 20 miles of previously unexplored tunnels and mapped them. During a trip in 2023, Rob was on a dive with a friend and they got separated. Rob searched for his friend for more than an hour before having to exit the cave. Beyond Hope is Rob’s first thriller written from the first person point of view and explores the feelings and fears that a cave diver can get when unplanned separation occurs.
In Beyond Hope, Joey Simmons and Lindsey Carter are back, but this time, they face their greatest challenge yet. On their first dive in Cozumel, Mexico, they venture into an underwater cave with their friend Gary. But when a dive goes horribly wrong, the three are separated over 2,000 feet inside the cave. With limited air and no way to communicate, Joey, Lindsey, and Gary are in a race against time to find each other and escape the cave before it’s too late.Beyond Hope pushes the limits of survival, testing friendships, faith, and courage in the dark, unforgiving depths. Can they make it out alive—or are they truly beyond hope?
Beyond Hope won a 2024 Silver Global Book Award in Psychological Thrillers. Get ready for a true psychological thriller.
The fourth book in the Beyond series, Beyond the End of the Line, plunges readers into the depths of obsession, rivalry, and love tested by the unknown. As Joey Simmons and Lindsey Carter explore an uncharted section of Jackson Blue, the head spring in Merritt’s Mill Pond, located in Marianna, Florida, the unthinkable happens. Their excitement turns to anger when they learn an intruder has beaten them to their own discovery—another diver’s line now extends beyond the end of the line they placed just a day before.
Furious and determined, Joey becomes reckless, consumed by the need to uncover who is encroaching on his territory. Lindsey struggles to keep her focus and maintain her own sense of purpose while their once unshakable bond is tested. With obsession pulling Joey deeper and life-altering decisions weighing on Lindsey, they must decide what truly matters before the darkness takes more than just their dreams.
Beyond the End of the Line will be available on April 22, 2025.
Speaking of Rob’s exploration of the caves of Cozumel, after reading Patrick Taylor’s book Lost and Found, he decided readers might be interested in reading about his adventures in Cozumel. Rob wrote a new series titled Beneath the Jungle of Cozumel. The first book, Connecting the Crowns, was released in November 2024. He currently has plans for at least two more books in the series, The Hidden Passage and Shooting Stars. There will probably be more as his exploration continues.
Dive deep into the mysterious underwater caves beneath Cozumel, Mexico, and embark on an unforgettable journey through uncharted territory. In 2011, Rob’s first visit to Cozumel set off an obsession with cave exploration that would span over a decade. Since then, he’s explored over twenty miles of caves beneath the island, including more than ten miles of untouched passageways. *Connecting the Crowns* chronicles his daring attempts to link the newly discovered Dos Coronas cave to the island’s longest-known cave, Cueva Quebrada. Filled with both exhilarating triumphs and challenging setbacks, Rob’s story takes readers through the heart of his underground expeditions. *Connecting the Crowns* is not just a tale of exploration—it’s a gripping adventure of perseverance and discovery.
Beneath the Jungle of Cozumel: Connecting the Crowns won a 2024 Silver Global Book Award in Travel.
Rob has also written the first book in a new series titled The Hidden Rivers of Florida. The first book is subtitled Discoveries. In this series, Rob takes readers along his journey from non-diver to cave explorer in the underwater caves of Florida. The Hidden Rivers of Florida: Discoveries is a thrilling true adventure that plunges readers into the mysterious and breathtaking world of the underwater caves of Florida. Follow Rob’s journey from his first awe-inspiring dive into the depths of Florida’s hidden rivers to his life-changing decision to leave Arizona behind and live just minutes from some of the most stunning cave systems on Earth.
In this gripping first installment of his new series, Rob recounts the highs and lows of his first five years as a cave diver—navigating the dangers of the deep, making astonishing discoveries, and facing the heartbreaking loss of friends. Through vivid storytelling, he shares the exhilaration of exploration, the challenges of teaching others to dive safely, and the personal struggles that shaped his path.
Prepare to be immersed in a world few have seen, where beauty and danger intertwine beneath the surface. The Hidden Rivers of Florida: Discoveries is more than an adventure—it’s a testament to the passion, perseverance, and sheer wonder of cave diving.
Finally, Rob also has plans for a standalone thriller to be released sometime in 2025. The title for that novel is White Lines. That’s all that will be said on that for the time being.
Check back for updates!
Rob chatted with Steve Grobschmidt, author of the Gamma Trita series. Check out both parts of the chat in the two videos below.
At the beginning of 2023, Rob spent about an hour discussing sidemount diving, his Sidemount Diving book, and even a little bit about his upcoming debut thriller Beyond the Grate with Benjamin Hadfield of Teach Me To Dive. Click on the link below to watch!
Teach Me To Dive Interview with Rob Neto
At the beginning of 2021, Rob spent about an hour discussing sidemount diving and his Sidemount Diving book with Steve Davis of Speaking Sidemount. Click on the link below to watch!
Speaking Sidemount Interview with Rob Neto