Residue: A True Crime Podcast

Open Water: The Disappearance of Tom and Eileen Lonergan

Residue: A True Crime Podcast

Show Notes

Open Water (2003) is a survival thriller inspired by the true story of Tom and Eileen Lonergan. In the film, a married couple is accidentally left behind during a scuba diving trip after the boat crew miscounts the passengers. As they drift alone in the open ocean, they face dehydration, exhaustion, and sharks while waiting for a rescue that never comes.

The real events happened in 1998, when Tom and Eileen Lonergan were accidentally abandoned during a dive at Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Their disappearance wasn't discovered for nearly two days, and despite a massive search, they were never found. Months later, some of their dive gear washed ashore, but their bodies were never recovered.

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-faZE1ZJ6Q

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-12/ocean-survival-expert-advice-qld-couple-three-days-at-sea/101848206

https://allthatsinteresting.com/tom-eileen-lonergan

Open Water

https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/9625524/The-fall-and-rise-of-Milton-Windsor-Harris

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