Couple left to die in shark-infested waters – their diary entries are chilling

In 1998, Tom and Eileen Lonergan were accidentally left behind during a scuba diving trip in the shark-infested waters of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef – a real-life disappearance that later inspired the film Open Water and fueled speculation of a staged vanishing.

Their bodies were never found, but personal diaries left behind revealed unsettling entries, including Eileen’s fear of being “caught in” her husband’s “death wish that could lead him to what he desires.”

On January 25, 1998, Tom, 33, and Eileen, 28 – who had recently completed a two-year stint with the U.S. Peace Corps in Fiji – were on an extended trip through the South Pacific.

The Louisiana couple – experienced scuba divers – had stopped in Queensland, Australia, joining 24 other passengers aboard the MV Outer Edge, a charter dive boat that took them to St. Crispin’s Reef, a stunning section of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef that’s known for its vibrant marine life.

‘Shark City’

After completing two 40-minute dives, they prepared for a third descent at a site fittingly nicknamed Fish City – a spot teeming with aquatic activity.

Local fisherman Mick Bird, who was nearby that day, later revealed that shark activity in the area was unusually high. “Every time we threw a line, we’d pull in a shark,” he said. “They should rename that place Shark City,” Bird said, per the Daily Mail.

Couple left to die in shark-infested waters – their diary entries are chilling

‘Shark City’

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