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Started By
Message
Did any of you know Eileen and Tom Lonergan?
Posted on 6/2/24 at 10:09 am
Posted on 6/2/24 at 10:09 am
quote:
A couple's disappearance made headlines when they went missing during a diving trip and was later adapted into a film titled "Open Water." Eileen and Tom Lonergan, hailing from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, embarked on an adventure to explore the Great Barrier Reef on January 25, 1998, during their return journey from a vacation in Australia.
Eileen, 28, an experienced scuba diver, persuaded her 34-year-old husband to join her in this underwater hobby, making the coral reef an enticing destination. Alongside 24 other passengers, they boarded the vessel "Outer Edge," captained by Geoffrey 'Jack' Nairn, and set out 60 kilometers off the coast for their underwater exploration.
After a day of diving, a headcount was conducted, and the boat headed back to the mainland. However, a grave error occurred, and it was later discovered that the Lonergans were not on board when the Outer Edge departed. Two days later, the couple's bag was found on the vessel, suggesting that they had surfaced from their last dive to find the boat had left them behind.
Extensive air and sea searches ensued, but tragically, the couple was never located. In February, a wetsuit matching Eileen's size, bearing signs of contact with coral, washed up on the northern Queensland shore. Dive jackets, tanks, and one of Eileen's fins were also discovered later.
Remarkably, no evidence suggested a violent end to their lives, despite the portrayal of a shark attack in the film "Open Water." Months later, a fisherman found a dive slate 160 kilometers away, bearing a message dated January 26, 1998, at 8 am:
"To anyone who can help us: We have been abandoned on Agincourt Reef by MV Outer Edge on 25 Jan 98 at 3 pm. Please help us come to rescue us before we die. Help!!!"
This message indicated that the couple had survived for at least a day. The Outer Edge skipper faced manslaughter charges and explained that the confusion arose during the headcount as two passengers had entered the water midway through the process
LINK
Disappearance of Tom and Eileen Lonergan
11
Posted on 6/2/24 at 10:15 am to stout
Ralphie may did a skit on that movie
This post was edited on 6/2/24 at 10:17 am
Posted on 6/2/24 at 10:15 am to stout
There’s was an old thread on here talking about this and I think I remember some folks saying they knew them well.
Posted on 6/2/24 at 10:16 am to stout
(no message)
This post was edited on 6/2/24 at 10:31 am
Posted on 6/2/24 at 10:17 am to stout
That was a horrible movie.
Posted on 6/2/24 at 10:33 am to stout
Dive boats have beefed up their procedures to keep this from happening. But even today they aren’t fool proof, especially for larger groups of people who don’t know each other.
Didn’t realize the couple was from BR.
Didn’t realize the couple was from BR.
Posted on 6/2/24 at 10:35 am to stout
Dove the Great Barrier Reef later that same year and the protocols had been significantly changed because of this incident.
Posted on 6/2/24 at 10:37 am to SloaneRanger
quote:
Dive boats have beefed up their procedures to keep this from happening. But even today they aren’t fool proof, especially for larger groups of people who don’t know each other.
was in Turks and Caicos last month and we were diving on a reef with several boats in the vicinity, strong current, big swells, and a lot of people, the thought of someone being overlooked when it was time to move did cross my mind
Posted on 6/2/24 at 10:38 am to Czechessential
That’s terrible
Posted on 6/2/24 at 10:44 am to stout
I used to work with her brother Adam. He’s probably still playing in a few bands around BR.
Posted on 6/2/24 at 10:48 am to MyRockstarComplex
Do any of you think it was all staged? Their lifejackets were found intact.
Posted on 6/2/24 at 10:50 am to pizota13
quote:
Do any of you think it was all staged? Their lifejackets were found intact.
Unlikely - if they wanted to disappear, they could easily have avoided sending the distress note. They also had no way of knowing the boat would botch the head count.
Posted on 6/2/24 at 12:02 pm to SloaneRanger
Had two friends. Rey experienced divers and their air blasted them longer than the rest of the boat. They heard the engines crank up and surfaced and yelled and got someone’s attention.
Almost left behind , gave that crew a talking to.
Almost left behind , gave that crew a talking to.
Posted on 6/2/24 at 12:06 pm to tigahfan747
My cousin was roommates with him in college.
Posted on 6/2/24 at 12:30 pm to pizota13
quote:Yeah, the crew of the Challenger all reunited and rescued them and they all went to Argentina and lived with Hitler at his complex.
Do any of you think it was all staged?
Posted on 6/2/24 at 12:37 pm to stout
Always tear a 50 dollar bill in two and give half of it to the captain. Tell him he will get the other half when he does the final head count.
Posted on 6/2/24 at 1:08 pm to stout
What about satphones? Could you carry those just in case?
Posted on 6/2/24 at 1:08 pm to Bestbank Tiger
quote:
That was a horrible movie.
I thought it was pretty good honestly.
And it has the absolute most surprising full frontal nudity I think I’ve ever seen in a movie.
Posted on 6/2/24 at 1:18 pm to LeClerc
quote:
What about satphones? Could you carry those just in case?
I'm guessing sat phones are probably not designed to go that deep (~100 ft).
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