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Call it the Blair Shark Project...?

I just got wind of Open Water, an independent film that is due to open in August. It's based on the true story of Tom and Eileen Lonergan, an American married couple who were accidentally left behind by their charter dive boat, Outer Edge on the Great Barrier Reef of Australia in 1998. They were never seen again.

No one on the dive boat did a head count. Despite finding their clothing and dive bags on the boat when it got back to port, no one called the police until 51 hours after the boat left the reef, and a search was not started until the third morning after they were left at sea. Their BC's and tanks, and a shredded woman's wetsuit were found about a week later.

There have been many accounts of the incident, including a very forgettable episode of an even more forgettable ABC series about mysterious disappearances.

But, unlike other true stories or hokey dive movies, this one is not over powered by special effects and stunt doubles (The Deep, Sphere, The Abyss...) or hampered by an incoherent or truly stupid plot (Deep Blue Sea) or Antonio Sabato, Jr. (Shark Hunter).

The film was made 18 miles off the coast of the Bahamas by a guy with a vision, two unknown actors, a few buckets of chum, SCUBA gear, and a handheld digital video camera. Chris Kentis, the writer/director did not have the money for a mechanical shark, or much else. Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis, who play the divers, wore chain mail under their wetsuits, but that didn't cover their heads, hands or feet. Insurance didn't cover them either - none was available or affordable - the actors and director all signed waivers agreeing that they wouldn't sue each other. Ms. Ryan was bitten on her hand, during the first day of shooting, by a barracuda.

Open Water was first screened at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, and came away with rave reviews from Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, and others. But, unlike the film it will be immediately compared to,The Blair Witch Project, this is really a true story, and everyone knows that being lost at sea while scuba diving, and sharks, are much scarier than being lost in the woods while making a movie, and little stick figure dolls. Although this might put a few newbies off anything deeper than a bathtub, by all description so-far, this sounds like the thing to do on August 6th! Visit the official website to see a trailer.