Is 'Open Water' based on true story? Know about this 2003 survival film

The survival thriller film Open Water released in 2003. Chris Kentis directed the movie and his wife Laura Lau was the producer of the movie. The cast of Open Water includes Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis. The plot of this film revolves around a couple who is on vacation and decides to go scuba diving where the waters were inhabited by sharks. They are accidentally left behind after their tour boat guides take a wrong count of the tourists who were with them. The audience was highly intrigued by the plot and wanted to know if Open Water is based on a true story. 

Is 'Open Water' based on a true story?

According to a report by National Geographic, Open Water is loosely based on the 1998 incident that took place in Australia. Tom and Eileen Lonergan were left stranded in the ocean after their tour guide miscounted the number of people who were with them. They left behind in the waters that was home to too many sharks. The crew realised their mistakes two days later when they found some belongings of the couple on their boat. A search party was set out and the police also helped in looking for them but unfortunately, the couple was never found. 

Chris Kentis and his wife Laura Lau are avid and experienced scuba-divers themselves. They too were left behind during one of their dives. Recalling the experience, Lau has said that getting left behind in the ocean and being surrounded by meat-eating sharks is a frightening experience. The report also quoted Danie Travis’ experience while filming with sharks. He has said that he assumed that would only be two or three sharks during the shooting. But there were actually around 50 of them. The budget for the film was $120,000 and they had shot for around 120 hours in the waters. 

Other shark movies 

Several movies are made in Hollywood showcasing shark adventure going wrong. After Jaws was released, shark movies had caught the fancy of the audience that caused several movies based on these predatory fishes made. Some of the blockbuster shark movies are Jaws: The Revenge, Sharknado, The Reef, Deep Blue Sea, 47 Meters Down and The Shallows. 

Image courtesy- Screengrab from Open Water trailer