‘47 Meters Down’ is the story of two sisters who go for a vacation in Mexico and somehow end up in a diving cage, surrounded by sharks. The amusing activity soon turns into a disaster when their cable breaks, and they are 47 meters deep into shark-infested waters. The movie is directed by Johannes Roberts, who also co-wrote the survival horror film alongside Ernest Riera. The shark flick is gripping and keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout its runtime. After the movie, the viewers can’t help but wonder if a true incident inspired the movie. If you’ve found yourself thinking along those lines, then we have all the answers you need.
47 Meters Down is a Fictional Tale
No, ‘47 Meters Down’ is not based on a true story, but there have been several instances of sharks attacking humans, and none of them are nearly as dramatic. Most shark attacks happen on the shore or surf zone, and it is rare to find an incident where a person was ripped apart by a shark in the middle of the ocean.
Although, there has been an instance when a shark has head-butted into metal bars and caused damage to the diving cage. As per reports, divers on a Mexican island had a near-death experience when a Great White Shark attacked their cage underwater and dislocated one bar while getting its head stuck. After doing so, the shark disappeared, but the divers were extremely close to experiencing an incident like the one portrayed in ‘47 Metes Down.’
Moreover, to survive 47 meters underwater, one must have prior training in scuba diving. There is a risk of having decompression sickness in such circumstances, but professionals are taught to regulate decompression stop limits, which is not something you can expect from an untrained person. So, even though the 47-meter plot juncture is interesting, it is not entirely accurate because complications would have occurred long ago for the sisters before their encounter with sharks.
Another inaccuracy in the movie is the bloody nose, which results from the rapid descent into the ocean after the cable breaks. However, in such a scenario, it is expected that their eardrums would be damaged due to the pressure. However, the filmmakers rightly depicted nitrogen narcosis (partial pressure that releases nitrogen in the bloodstream after diving deep) as being the cause behind hallucinations. Other symptoms include impairment in manual dexterity, coma, stupor, and mental decline.
In the movie, Captain Taylor also mentions how sharks prey on humans, but in reality, they are more likely to stick to their usual diet of fish and other marine animals. Reportedly, most sharks attack humans accidentally after seeing an unnatural moment, but their motive is only to investigate the source of disturbance rather than devouring us. They also have no interest in lurking around humans for too long, like they do in ‘47 Meters Down.’
In one scene, Kate gets injured and starts to bleed, which invites more sharks toward the duo. Now sharks are great predators and can undoubtedly smell blood from a long distance, but they aren’t particularly attracted to it. People’s electromagnetic fields, body odor, and activity draw them more than blood. With that being said, all the myths about these beings have emerged from movies like ‘Jaws’ and ‘ The Meg’ along with other similar movies that reinforce such information to make the movie more thrilling, unknowingly vilifying sharks.
Here’s a surprising statistic about the most feared creature of the ocean. Every year, sharks kill around ten people, so the chances of someone dying in an attack are slim to none unless they are at a place heavily infested with sharks. On the contrary, humans kill over 100 million sharks a year, that too in a brutal way by cutting off their fins while they are alive. So, the entertainment industry has completely tarnished the image of sharks when there are like a thousand other things that could kill a human.
Nonetheless, they make great antagonists for a thrilling movie like ‘47 Meters Down,’ which is a fictional story that has heightened real-life scenarios to create an intense and terrifying experience for the viewers.
Read More: Best Shark Movies of All Time
