True Story Behind Open Water

Behind Open Water lies a tantalizing mystery:

Their faces peer out gleefully from behind diving masks as the young couple watch vast shoals of colourful, fish parade before them. Trailed by streams of bubbles from their aqualungs, they explore the intricate coral reef before surfacing. They are looking forward to sharing the experience with the two-dozen other members of the group on the boat.

The boat, however, is not there. It has set off for the distant shore, leaving the couple floating on the surface, abandoned to their fate. Within hours, the sharks begin to circle and a grisly end appears certain.

This is the storyline for Open Water, which is due to be released in Australia in October. But overshadowing the harrowing images on screen is the fact that the script is based on the true story of Tom and Eileen Lonergan, an American couple who were stranded in the ocean off the Queensland coast six years ago after the operators of their tour boat miscounted the number of divers on board and set off without them. The boat's crew only realised its mistake two days later when they found some of the Lonergans' property on board. Despite a widespread search by the police and navy, the Lonergans were never found.

The rest goes on to describe the subsequent "spectacular" court cases, rumors of double-suicide, faked death, and more. « via Movie City News »