Random True Story Behind 'Open Water' Is A Dark Mystery That Goes Way Beyond Horror Of Film (13 items)

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  (#1) A Dive Slate With A Distress Message Was Discovered Six Months After Their Disappearance

  In order to communicate effectively underwater, many divers carry dive slates, small boards on which they can write messages or record information. Six months after Tom and Eileen Lonergan's disappearance, a well-weathered slate was discovered by a fisherman miles away from their dive site. Along with the date of January 26, 1998, and a time of 8:00 am, the slate read, "PLEASE HELP US OR WE WILL DIE."

  This distress note appears to clearly indicate the Lonergans were not left behind by choice and were alive at least until the next day to write the distress message.
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  (#2) Diaries Entries Have Led Some To Believe They Had A Suicide Pact

  The diaries of Tom and Eilleen Lonergan were discovered after their disappearance and contained some eerie insights. According to entries, both Tom and Eileen were unhappy with their lives and each other. The couple both had careers as teachers, and each wrote how they hated their jobs. Eileen's diary included entries about how she felt too intertwined with her husband and how he had developed a death wish. Tom's diary backed this up as he wrote, "Like a student who has finished an exam I feel that my life is complete and I am ready to die."

  Although these disturbing writings from the Lonergans were mostly considered coincidental, some theories suggest the couple was carrying out a suicide pact or were the victims of a murder-suicide at the hands of Tom.
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  (#3) One Expert Believes The Lonergans Were Eaten By Tiger Sharks

  Open Water suggests the Lonergans met their ultimate fate thanks to sharks. Although half of the world's sharks live in the waters around Australia, most of them are completely harmless to humans. There was also no real evidence of a shark attack - such as blood residue or teeth marks - on the couple's wetsuit and dive jackets that washed ashore.

  However, one veteran Australian diver believes they were eaten by tiger sharks. According to the testimony of Ben Cropp, the notoriously dangerous sharks probably watched the couple and approached slowly after a few hours, eventually taking a bite. He also believed the Lonergans had not lasted more than 48 hours because of this.
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  (#4) A Captain Believes The Lonergans May Have Hitched A Ride On His Boat

  While police were investigating the case, another strange story emerged. Another boat captain who claimed to have visited the same dive spot the next day may have encountered the couple. According to his story, the head count before the vessel's return trip came out two more than the one taken when the boat left port. The tourists on his expedition that day were all from Italy and spoke in their native tongue. However, the captain also claimed to hear a few American voices among the tourists that day.

  If his story is true, it's possible the Lonergans slipped in among the divers and simply disappeared once the boat reached the shore. This theory would mean the couple planned ahead of time to spend the night in the middle of the ocean, waiting for an entirely different boat to show up the next day. While it is an interesting theory, it's not very plausible.
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  (#5) The Couple's Diving Jacks And Air Tanks Eventually Washed Ashore

  Several weeks after Tom and Eileen Lonergan were reported missing, pieces of their diving gear washed up on shore. Inflatable diving jackets and air tanks were found by group of people on a beach about 75 miles north of Port Douglas. The jackets had the couple's names written on them. The air tanks had a little air left inside, meaning they were probably dropped when the Lonergans realized the ship wasn't coming back for them. Even eight years after the incident, evidence was still being found, like a fin with "Lonergan" written inside.

  It's unclear why the Lonergans would have removed the jackets helping to keep them afloat. However, since there was no evidence of a shark attack, theorists believe the Lonergans became delirious from dehydration or removed them before an attempt to swim for shore. However, without the buoyancy of their jackets, the Lonergans would have likely worn themselves to the point of exhaustion from treading water.
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  (#6) Eileen's Wetsuit Washed Ashore With Several Tears And Barnacles Attached To It

  In addition to pieces of the Lonergan's diving equipment, a women's wetsuit the same size Eileen would have worn was also found washed up on shore several months after the couple went missing. It was intact with no blood or holes that would be consistent with injuries from a shark attack.

  The suit did have some tears in the armpit and buttocks areas but were thought to be the result of the suit getting snagged on coral as it drifted through the ocean. There were barnacles attached to the zipper, and authorities determined from their rate of growth the suit had probably been adrift in the ocean since the end of January, around the time of the couple's disappearance.
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  (#7) The Owner Of The Dive Company Was Charged With Manslaughter But Was Acquitted

  In 1999, Outer Edge owner Jack Nairn was charged with manslaughter of the Lonergans and went to trial in criminal court. The defense used the diary entries to question the intentions of the couple and claimed they faked their deaths. The trial was also centered on Nairn, not the entire company, and many members of the jury may have felt it was not his fault alone.

  Although they acquitted him, Nairn was also tried in Australian civil court where he pled guilty to negligence and was fined for breaking safety rules. Thanks to the fines, the court costs, and the amount of negative publicity he received, Nairn was forced to close down his business. The tragic story of Tom and Eileen Lonergan also inspired Queensland to enact stricter rules on how dive companies should operate and how head counts are taken.
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  (#8) Some People Believe They Faked Their Deaths

  Although there was never any concrete evidence, some people wondered if Tom and Eileen Lonergan faked their own deaths. After the Australian news broke the story, more than 20 people came forward claiming to have seen the Lonergans after they supposedly disappeared. They were allegedly seen all around Australia, including in a Darwin hotel and a Port Douglas bookshop two days after their dive, according to the owner.

  Another disappearance theory supporting the "faked death" idea speculates an unidentified boat a mile away from the dive site picked up the Lonergans. Considering they both left their passports behind, never touched their bank accounts after the incident, and their insurance policies were never cashed in, if the Lonergans really did fake their death, they would have been forced to start completely from scratch. Also, they would have had to rely on the coincidental fact that the crew counted heads incorrectly.
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  (#9) No One Raised Any Concerns About The Lonergans Even Though Their Possession Were Still On The Boat

  When the Outer Edge boat returned to shore, a crew member found an unattended bag. They placed it in the lost and found, assuming a tourist had forgotten it. 

  Tom and Eileen Lonergan were staying at a local hostel and when they didn't show up for the shuttle to take them back, the driver looked in the shops and restaurants and then called Outer Edge. Despite the fact both Tom and Eileen had left their shoes at the dive shop, it was assumed they somehow managed to return to the hostel on their own after not telling anyone.

  Two days later, Outer Edge owner Jack Narin noticed the bag was still unclaimed in lost and found. He looked inside and discovered Tom's wallet. Finally concerned, he called the hostel and discovered the couple never came back. He contacted police and a search was begun more than 48 hours after the Lonergans failed to get back on their boat. Apparently, none of the crew noticed they were missing two dive jackets and weights.
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  (#10) The Boat Returned To The Same Spot The Next Day And Still Did Not Suspect Anything

  The day after Tom and Eileen Lonergan failed to get back on the boat, the Outer Edge returned to the same spot with a new group of divers. One of these divers discovered two weight belts - used as a countermeasure against all the other buoyant equipment divers carry - on the seabed of St. Crispin Reef where they were last seen. The diver reported this and the skipper Jack Nairn was informed, but since the Lonergans had not yet been reported missing, no one connected the two events.

  The Outer Edge crew chalked the belts up to a lucky find and continued the day's expedition. It's extremely possible the weight belts were the ones the Lonergans were using and most likely dropped soon after discovering they were stranded.
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  (#11) The Lonergans Were Experienced Divers Who Insisted On Going Off On Their Own For The Last Dive

  Eileen Lonergan started scuba diving when the couple lived in Louisiana and convinced her husband to join her hobby. As they were returning from a Peace Corps mission in Fiji towards Hawaii, they decided they couldn't pass up diving at the Great Barrier Reef. The Outer Edge boat carried their group of 24 out to sea about 40 miles offshore and visited three dive sites, the last being a place named "Fish City" due to its abundant sea life.

  Since they were both experienced divers, the couple told one of the crew that they were going to go off on their own during the third dive. The crew member they told this to did not record this request in the dive log.
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  (#12) They Were Missed In The Head Count Due To Confusion And An Inexperienced Crew

  It's standard practice for dive excursions to take head counts of everyone participating so all are accounted for before the boat heads back to shore. In the case of Tom and Eileen Lonergan, however, something obviously went wrong. Ship skipper and company owner Jack Nairn claims to have ordered one of the crew to conduct a head count before the ship left.

  In the middle of the count, however, things became confused when two people jumped back into the water. Because the count was down two, these people were assumed to be the last divers and appeared everyone was back on board. Other stories claim some of the crew were inexperienced and somehow missed the Lonergans because of a failure to carry out their responsibilities.
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  (#13) Currents, Dehydration, And Panic Most Likely Doomed The Couple

  Since the water was calm, clear, and warm that day, some people questioned why the Lonergans didn't swim to one of the well-lit diving platforms a few miles away, a large lifebuoy nearby, or flag down a passing ship. Although these things would be easily visible from the deck of a boat, they may not have been as easily seen from the surface of the water. Tom had also left his glasses on the boat, making it even more difficult for him to see. The platform was most likely up current, which would make it difficult to swim towards.

  In addition, it's highly likely the Lonergans were panicking: They had been left alone, the boat didn't return for them, and there was no active rescue underway. Compounded with the heat from the sun and lack of fresh drinking water, the Lonergans were most likely in a alarmed and disoriented state of mind.  

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