Folk Figure. Eileen and her husband Tom were on vacation in Australia when they went on a scuba diving excursion near St. Crispin reef with Outer Edge Dive Co. It was discovered 48 hours later that the two divers were left behind by the boat in shark-infested waters. The diving company never noticed they were missing from the head count until the Lonergans' personal effects were found on the boat. Their bodies were never recovered, although various pieces of their scuba gear eventually washed ashore, including Tom's dive slate which read: "[Mo]nday Jan 26; 1998 08am. To anyone [who] can help us: We have been abandoned on A[gin]court Reef by MV Outer Edge 25 Jan 98 3pm. Please help us [come] to rescue us before we die. Help!!!" None of their equipment showed any damage, and it's thought that the couple, delirious with dehydration, took off their equipment themselves. Lawyers for Outer Edge later claimed at trial that this proved the couple had a suicide pact, something their families emphatically denied. The story of Tom and Eileen Lonergan was the basis for the 2004 movie "Open Water."
Folk Figure. Eileen and her husband Tom were on vacation in Australia when they went on a scuba diving excursion near St. Crispin reef with Outer Edge Dive Co. It was discovered 48 hours later that the two divers were left behind by the boat in shark-infested waters. The diving company never noticed they were missing from the head count until the Lonergans' personal effects were found on the boat. Their bodies were never recovered, although various pieces of their scuba gear eventually washed ashore, including Tom's dive slate which read: "[Mo]nday Jan 26; 1998 08am. To anyone [who] can help us: We have been abandoned on A[gin]court Reef by MV Outer Edge 25 Jan 98 3pm. Please help us [come] to rescue us before we die. Help!!!" None of their equipment showed any damage, and it's thought that the couple, delirious with dehydration, took off their equipment themselves. Lawyers for Outer Edge later claimed at trial that this proved the couple had a suicide pact, something their families emphatically denied. The story of Tom and Eileen Lonergan was the basis for the 2004 movie "Open Water."
Bio by: Jennifer M.
Family Members
Advertisement
