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TOM AND EILEEN LONERGAN WERE LAST SEEN DIVING NEAR THEIR BOAT TOUR IN AUSTRALIA ON JANUARY 25, 1998, BEFORE THEY WERE NEVER HEARD FROM AGAIN - THEIR HORROR FINAL MOMENTS WERE LATER DEPICTED

IN A MOVIE 10:00, 20 May 2025Updated 10:10, 20 May 2025 It's been over a quarter of a century since the chilling disappearance of Tom and Eileen Lonergan, a mystery that still sends

shivers down the spine. The couple's eerie vanishing act off the coast of Australia sparked the plot for a major film after they were last spotted diving near their boat tour on January

25, 1998, only to vanish into thin air. The case of the missing pair remains a baffling enigma, with more questions than answers lingering to this day. Yanks Tom and Eileen touched down in

Port Douglas, Northern Australia, for what was meant to be an epic adventure holiday but ended up as a nightmare. Left adrift in shark-ridden waters around 3pm, some 40 miles from

Queensland's shores, their terrifying ordeal went on to fuel a hit flick. The jaunt was meant to be the trip of dreams. Fresh from a two-year stint with the US Peace Corps in Tuvalu and

Fiji, the Lonergans set their sights on the legendary Great Barrier Reef, reports the Mirror US. The couple, who tied the knot after meeting at uni in Louisiana, had been hitched for ten

years, according to the Daily Star. Eileen, a scuba diving enthusiast, had passed on her passion to Tom. Their Queensland escapade was meant to be the pinnacle of their shared loves – but it

ended up being the tragic finale of their union. But there were signs of trouble brewing. A fortnight before their fateful trip, Eileen's diary hinted at dark thoughts, with a

disturbing note about Tom harbouring a "death wish". In a poignant note, she said: "He hopes to die a quick and painless death, and he hopes it happens soon. Tom's not

suicidal, but he's got a death wish that could lead him to what he desires and I could get caught in that." What was supposed to be an idyllic dive at the breathtaking Great

Barrier Reef in January 1998 took an unsettling turn for the couple. In a distressing turn of events, they were deserted by their tour boat, the Outer Edge. Neither the other divers nor the

boat's crew noticed they were missing, abandoning them in the perilous waters where massive tiger sharks measuring 5meters prowl the Queensland coast. Seen alive for the last time

12meters beneath the ocean surface, marveling at the stunning underwater beauty they had craved to see, the Lonergans came up to the surface approximately an hour later only to find the

Outer Edge had disappeared, heading back to Port Douglas without them on board. Their disappearance bizarrely went unnoticed for an agonizing 48 hours. The skipper and owner Jack Nairn

discovered the couple's personal belongings, including a dive bag containing a wallet and documents on the boat, ultimately prompting authorities to spring into action and launch a

swift search. Yet, the efforts were to no avail, as haunting clues kept popping up in the following days. An undamaged wetsuit, life jackets marked with their names, and eventually, a dive

slate they penned the next morning surfaced mysteriously in the aftermath. A chilling handwritten plea for help, dated January 25, 1998, 3 pm, would be found reading: "To anyone W.H.O.

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! ! !". Despite the bone-chilling tale that

could've been plucked straight from the film Open Water, there wasn't a shred of evidence pointing to a shark attack in the Lonergans' disappearance. As the clock ticked,

hopes for their miraculous return started to fade. The saga blew up into a full-blown international row between the Aussies and Yanks, with the legal eagles at Outer Edge floating the idea

that the couple might have done a runner on purpose, waving about (leaked) diary scribbles as proof. Whispers of a dark end, like suicide or a murder-suicide plot by Tom, did the rounds but

were shot down by the Lonergans' kin, who slammed such talk as slanderous and downright daft. In the final act, the finger of blame pointed at Outer Edge, with Nairn owning up to a

botched job. Coroner Noel Nunan didn't mince his words at the inquiry's curtain call, laying the blame right at skipper Nairn's door for not minding his passengers. He said:

"The skipper should be vigilant for the safety of passengers and ensure safety measures are carried out. "When you combine the number of mistakes and the severity of the mistakes I

am satisfied a reasonable jury would find Mr Nairn guilty of manslaughter on criminal evidence." Article continues below Even though Nairn dodged a guilty verdict from the jury, his

venture, Outer Edge Boat Company, went belly up in the scandal's wake. The furore sparked new laws in Queensland, now making it a must for dive boat skippers to tally up all divers

before setting sail. The chilling vanishing act of the Lonergans was the spark behind the 2003 smash hit film Open Water, which spun the tale of a young American duo left high and dry after

an ocean dive. Open Water struck a chord with viewers, especially in the US where it bagged a cool $30 million on a shoestring budget. Yet, even the worldwide ripple effect of the

Lonergans' disappearance - the political upheaval, the courtroom clashes, and the Hollywood dramatisation - couldn't bring them back to dry land.