Is 47 Meters Down based on a true story?

Is 47 Meters Down based on a true story? Its Uncaged sequel is one of the most popular movies on Netflix right now, but is any of it based on true events?

No fear is truly irrational: there might be nothing in the dark, but there could be something; the spider probably won’t hurt you, but it could; a plane crash is incredibly unlikely, but not impossible; nothing is pushing you to fall from a great height, but what if something did?

And then there’s the most sensible fear of all: the deep blue sea and all its terrors, whether it’s the volatile weather, water pressure that could crush your lungs like a Capri Sun, the sheer vastness we’ll never comprehend, or – and this is a big or – sharks and other creatures.

It’s why the basic idea behind the 47 Meters Down franchise has resulted in so much success – but is it based on a true story?

Is 47 Meters Down based on a true story?

No, neither 47 Meters Down nor its sequel, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged, are based on a true story.

In the first movie, sisters Lisa (Mandy Moore) and Kate (Claire Holt) take a vacation in Mexico and decide to go cage diving, hoping to catch a glimpse of the local sea life.

Check out the trailer for 47 Meters Down Uncaged below:

It quickly goes haywire when the rusty, unsecured winch holding the cage breaks loose, and they plummet – you guessed it – 47 meters to the ocean floor. Their signal is too weak to talk to the men on the boat, their oxygen supply is fairly limited, and they’re surrounded by sharks.

The closest real-life story is of Tom and Eileen Lonergan, an American couple who were abandoned in the sea while scuba diving. They were never found and presumed dead, and their terrifying tale inspired one of the best shark movies: Open Water.

As for 47 Meters Down: Uncaged, it follows a group of teenagers who dive to search for underwater Mayan ruins, only to find themselves targeted by a group of white sharks.

While the location itself is based in reality, as a huge underwater cave system was found in Yucatán in 2018, nobody has ever got themselves into such a nightmarish situation.

47 Meters Down: Uncaged is on Netflix now. Check out if these other movies and shows are based on true stories below:

Forrest Gump | Blonde | The Staircase | Kaleidoscope | Emily the Criminal | Dog Gone | Treason | Happy Valley | The Black Phone | Cocaine Bear | The Pursuit of Happyness