Kumari Shreya
Directed by Nadia Tass, ‘Fatal Honeymoon’ is a 2012 crime-thriller film that revolves around newlyweds Gabe and Tina Watson from Alabama, who travel to Australia just a few days after their wedding ceremony. Tragedy strikes the couple when Tina drowns while the two are scuba diving, but her father and the US and Australian law authorities believe that there might be more to Tina’s death than what meets the eye.
Starring Billy Miller, Amber Clayton, Gary Sweet, and Harvey Keitel, the Lifetime movie presents the audience with a realistic tale that keeps them on the edge of their seats. Naturally, many fans are curious to know just how ‘Fatal Honeymoon’ came about- is it based on a true story, or is it simply a nail-biting piece of fiction? Let’s find out together.
The True Crime Story Behind Fatal Honeymoon
Yes, ‘Fatal Honeymoon’ is based on a true story. It is inspired by the shocking death of an Alabama woman named Tina Watson, who drowned in a scuba-driving session during her honeymoon in Australia. The movie accurately depicts every aspect of the accident, though some details have been modified to make the story flow better.
The real-life drowning occurred on October 22, 2003, when Tina was on her honeymoon with her husband, Gabe Watson, in Queensland, Australia. It should be noted that this was not the first time she had gone diving; she had gotten her diving certification before her wedding to Gabe and was also a qualified rescue diver. Around 10:30 AM, Tina passed out and fell to the sea floor, approximately 98 feet below the water surface. Surprisingly, the incident happened within a few minutes of the dive’s start.
Gabe claimed that the current had simply been stronger than the two had anticipated and that he had presumably responded to Tina’s signal and returned to the dive rope. However, his wife had accidentally knocked off his diving gear, and when he recovered, he saw her sinking at a speed that was too much for him. Apparently, Gabe had an ear condition that prevented him from going deeper, and he had no training to save someone from drowning, so he allegedly resurfaced to get his wife some help.
Dive instructor Wade Singleton jumped in the water after Gabe emerged and resurfaced with Tina ten minutes later. Unfortunately, despite almost 40 minutes of attempts to resuscitate her, the doctor on the adjacent dive boat could not help her. Regardless, the authorities suspected Gabe was not being truthful because though Tina’s death was ruled as drowning, it was left to see whether it was incidental or planned.
Gabe’s conflicting statements and stated version of events aroused the suspicions of the Australian authorities. Later, when an inquiry was held, he was asked to come in and answer, but the man had already returned to the US and refused to come back. Although, he did provide evidence through his lawyers to the Queensland police. The prosecutors claimed that Watson’s version of events contradicted the data on his dive computer. It was theorized that Gabe had turned Tina’s regulator off and held her until she fainted before letting her sink.
Meanwhile, Gabe tried to reclaim the money he had spent on the trip since his travel insurance company refused to give him the amount. He asked for $45,000, including the cost of accidental death, medical expenses, and interrupted plans, among other payout clauses. However, the Alabama resident retracted the case in May 2008 after realizing that the action may incriminate him, given the ongoing case against him in Australia.
After almost six months of refusing to travel to Australia, Gabe willingly showed up to the trial on June 5, 2009. He pleaded not guilty to the murder charges and instead pleaded guilty to manslaughter. He was later convicted for the latter charge and sentenced to four and a half years in prison which eventually ended after twelve months. Tina’s family expressed their displeasure with the reduced sentence. An appeal was made by Queensland Attorney-General Cameron Dick to increase the prison term to two and a half years but was rejected.
Another trial was held against Gabe regarding the case in Australia in the USA, but he was acquitted based on lack of evidence. ‘Fatal Honeymoon’ is an accurate adaptation of the 2003 incident that takes Tina and Gabe’s story and puts a more entertaining twist on it that might appeal to the viewers more than documentary-style telling. Overall, the movie has attracted its fair share of appreciation and criticism for portraying real-life events.
Read More: Where Was Lifetime’s Fatal Honeymoon Filmed? Who is in the Cast?
