[Music] [Music] hey everyone today we're diving into another terrifying case please support my channel by hitting that subscribe button and turning on the notifications at the mercy of the elements the world is such that accidents can happen anywhere even the simplest most routine situ situation can turn disastrous we take risks every day yet naively believe we control everything some people intentionally invite risk into their lives for some it becomes a constant Pursuit tied to their professional activities While others occasionally seek a thrill extreme Hobbies like skydiving rock climbing caving parkour and more fall into this category diving is also on the list of dangerous pastimes the desire to explore the ocean depths is understandable water and its inhabitants have always attracted both researchers and Ordinary People the vastness of the water space far larger than land adds to its Intrigue diving is one of the most popular activities but it's not the safest many things can go wrong oxygen deprivation Barat trauma encounters with dangerous animals or strong currents and more the most unexpected thing can happen you could be forgotten during an under water Excursion what may seem like a joke at first is actually a reality the story of the lonan family is a tragic confirmation of this though the events occurred back in 1998 and many safety protocols have since been implemented to prevent such occurrences this story still chills to the Bone imagine the horror experienced by the two spouses left alone at Sea a quarter of a century has passed since then yet many continue to debate what really happened to the couple was their disappearance the result of tragic negligence or a deliberate decision to end their lives let's try to figure this out together the long awaited dive on January 25th 1998 Thomas and Eileen lonan left their hostel in the Australian town of KS leaving the northeastern part of Queensland behind the young couple headed further north to Port Douglas their goal a long anticipated dive into the Waters of the Great Barrier Reef the world's largest coral reef system had long been a magnet for Avid divers at the designated location the 33-year-old man and 28-year-old woman boarded the boat Outer Edge along with other like-minded individuals a total of 13 pairs set out that day to St Crispen Reef the one-day Excursion costing around $100 was full of of Promise the package included three Dives in a picturesque and safe location all under the supervision of an experienced crew it's worth noting that the company providing underwater tourism Services was considered one of the best and had years of experience so Travelers could pursue their dreams with peace of mind the weather on January 25th was ideal for the tourists by all accounts it was a perfect day for scuba diving the water at the dive site was pleasantly warm from the start the couple declined the services of guide Katherine Traverso relying on their extensive experience the Lans had completed 160 Dives in their lifetime and were considered seasoned divers the boat's passengers dawned their gear and jumped into the Coral Sea the diversity of Flora and Fauna was stunning the Great Barrier Reef is home to around 1,500 species of fish and 400 types of coral when the dive time was up a signal sounded from the boat clearly audible underwater indicating it was time to surface afterward everyone emerged and returned to the vessel around 3:00 p. m. the protagonists of this story took their third dive descending to a depth of 39 ft the underwater tour was coming to an end and time flew by unnoticed within an hour everyone was back on board according to the crew a headcount was conducted and the number of divers matched the original count 26 people that evening the outer edge arrived in Port Douglas but not all the divers disembarked it turned out several tourists were missing however what was more horrifying was that no one had noticed this the same applied to the two bags that remained on board to this day it's unclear how the crew miscounted the passengers and failed to notice the belongings Left Behind one way or another the missing individuals were Thomas and Eileen lonan together forever Thomas and Eileen met while studying at Louisiana State University where eileene was learning the basics of scuba diving they instantly liked each other and began dating the couple was deeply in love and Inseparable they went camping swam in the ocean and attended parties together their relationship was admired by many and seemed ideal some even envied their genuine love no matter what they did they did it together eileene had a great passion for diving she spoke about it with such enthusiasm that Thomas couldn't resist and soon shared his beloved's interest over time the young couple earned their certification in this field eventually on June 24th 1988 they sealed their union in marriage the wedding took place in Jefferson Texas since both were born and raised in Louisiana and had never traveled abroad they dreamed of seeing the world Thomas and Eileen were also known for their kindness and compassion so when they were offered the opportunity to join the Peace Corp they eagerly agreed the Lans were perfect candidates for this role during their student years they participated in numerous charity projects and events offering help to those in need the Peace Corps an independent US government agency sends volunteers to assist struggling countries promoting friendship and peace worldwide after a successful internship in tuvalu a country in Polynesia the couple moved on to Fiji where they taught children from impoverished families at the time of these events they had been married for 10 years by then they had completed their mission and were planning to return to the US however the Lans had one more wish a world Cruise they wanted to visit famous places and take in the local Beauty their return home was scheduled for March 1999 but first they had a long and exciting journey ahead the Great Barrier Reef as Avid divers the couple had long dreamed of seeing the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef this is why they ended up in Australia the local attraction is renowned worldwide did you know it's the largest coral reef system on the planet created by marine organisms it's a truly unique natural Marvel it's area surpasses the size of some countries and is even visible from space the Lans wanted to capture this Wonder in their Memories Forever knowing it might not last you can't imagine how Thomas and Eileen saw it back in 1998 today much of the ecosystem has vanished once vibrant and diverse the corals have become bleached while not dead they are at high risk of Disappearing forever if they become diseased or are exposed to destructive external forces even a slight rise in water temperature can cause this for optimal Coral growth water temperatures need to be between 72 and 81° F the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef can still be enjoyed today but in the face of the greenhouse effect its days are numbered a significant Coral bleaching event occurred in 1997 to 1998 which is why our couple was in such a hurry they rushed to see The Reef while it was still alive only to encounter death instead criminal negligence based on general knowledge and film scenarios we can imagine the scene that unfolded before the couple after they surfaced an Endless Sea stretched around them with no sign of the only symbol of safety the outer edge boat two young people without food or water were left alone amidst the vast ocean surrounding them were threats in the form of dangerous sharks the blazing sun and the risk of dehydration the desperate divers could only hope that their disappearing would be noticed and that they would be rescued in time after all according to the rules the number of people on board must be counted multiple times before the dive and after even if a miscount occurred records should be made upon surfacing about the dive depth air levels in the tanks and so on in short the required documentation should have been kept in the end even if none of this had been done the Lan's personal belongings remained on board which surely couldn't have gone unnoticed initially the couple likely thought it was a funny mistake something they would laugh about later when telling their friends but as the hours passed nothing changed two at Sea the realization of the inevitable came slowly no one wants to believe in the worst until the very end over time the Forgotten couple began to assess their situation more clearly in reality Thomas and eileene could do nothing there was no one in sight and calling for help was pointless swimming to shore was equally impossible there were no Islands nearby despite being experienced divers it was unrealistic to cover the 60m distance to land adding to their fears was the fact that Australia is home to the largest and most vicious sharks in the world it wouldn't take much for these predators to attack the stranded tourists and deal with them the coule had no tools to defend themselves from this looming threat nor did they have any water or food with them it is known that the average life expectancy without water is 2 to 4 days for some this period May stretch a few extra days while a person can survive much longer without food water is essential without it dehydration sets in after 5 to 7 Days how long a person can endure with without sustenance depends on their health body mass willpower and the climate regardless death under these conditions is slow and agonizing on top of that they faced scorching heat increasing the likelihood of sunstroke or heat exhaustion the only two comforting thoughts at that moment were these first they were not alone in this situation but together as they had always been second as divers they were unlikely to drown their gear included buoyancy compensators which are much more reliable than life jackets the next danger they faced came in the form of strong winds and Powerful currents they were being carried farther and farther away even if someone began searching for them after a while they would no longer be in the same location the most tragic aspect however was that there were pontoons just 1.
5 to 2 mi away these floating platforms anchored to the ocean floor provide a place to rest had the Lans known about this things could have been very different they could have waited for help in relative safety resting and even sleeping but alas a different fate awaited them the couple was being swept into open Waters farther from any chance of rescue with about 5 hours left until sunset night the most dangerous time was approaching for when everything sleeps the Sea comes alive a chance at rescue at this time the 24 passengers of the outer edge and the crew had all disembarked the exhausted tourists headed to their hotel rooms and the boat's crew returned home to their families no one gave a thought to anything being wrong no one cared about the belongings left aboard everyone was simply tired after a busy day and eager for rest the next day brought no significant changes however there was one moment that should have drawn attention another group of divers visited the Great Barrier Reef The Familiar boat pulled up to its usual spot and the tourists descended into the water upon resurfacing one of them told a crew member that they had noticed diving weights on the ocean floor these weights part of a diver's equipment are used to counteract buoyancy most likely the discovered gear belonged to Thomas and eileene who had detached them but the crew member didn't take the information seriously chalking it up as an interesting find yet such items don't simply lie around on the ocean floor for no reason the negligent worker should have treated the discovery with the attention and caution it deserved unfortunately another mistake and act of negligence occurred had an alarm been raised perhaps the search for the missing couple would have started sooner and they might have survived the cruel irony of Fate waiting for help and fighting for your life while people and a boat are not far away sadly this is often the case life and death walk side by side 2 days later on January 27th during the cleaning of the boat someone finally noticed the Forgotten belongings curious to find out who they belonged to the bag was opened revealing dry clothes a wallet and documents in the names of Thomas and Eileen Lan the crew remembered seeing the couple 2 days prior during that time no one had come to claim the items which was quite strange this is when things started to become clear the skipper who made the discovery immediately reported everything to the police the investigation began right away everyone understood the gravity of two tourists disappearing Law Enforcement Officers checked the missing couple's hotel room unsurprisingly there were no guests Inside the Hotel staff confirmed they had seen the couple before their trip on Sunday morning after that they never returned however no one had raised any alarms since the room had been prepaid and it was assumed their Excursion could have lasted several days tension mounted the police interviewed the outer edge crew as well as all the passengers from the past few days it became apparent that no one had seen Thomas and Eileen for quite some time moreover no one could recall if they had even come ashore each tourist had been busy with their own activities the crew insisted that they had counted everyone before heading to shore but perhaps they had counted the same couple twice however some tourists pointed out they hadn't noticed any counting at all at least not out loud the discovery of the weight belt was also mentioned the search things were looking bad to organize a large scale search the police called for triple reinforcements 17 planes and two helicopters were dispatched the Coast Guard several private boats and concerned citizens all joined the search effort the area where the tourists had been left was scoured thoroughly over time the search Zone shifted in 2 days the current had carried the couple far away throughout all of this port Douglas was in an uproar everyone was shocked by the incident holding out hope for a positive outcome however many understood that the chances of rescue after such a long period of inactivity were slim to none the company that had organized the Excursion realized the gravity of the situation and prepared to Bear responsibility the boat's crew knew they had been outrageously careless and negligent nothing could justify it the large scale search lasted 5 days continuing beyond that seemed pointless by this time anything could have happened to the couple in the end they could have died from dehydration or been attacked the evidence supporting this on February 5th 1998 a buoyancy compensator washed a Shore near Indian head more than 100 Mil north of Port Douglas it was found to contain a tag with the name Thomas lonan interestingly no bite marks from predators were found on it this is when the case of the couple's disappearance became more convoluted shortly after Eileen's wet suit and a second buoyancy compensator Pres presumed to be hers were also found the wet suit had cuts on it leading some to suspect they were caused by shark teeth however if that had been the case it's unlikely that anything would have been left of the suit later forensic experts determined the tears were caused by Coral the wet suit had even accumulated Barnacles indicating it had been in the water for quite some time forensic Specialists suggested the wet suit had been submerged since January 26th the day after the described events it's possible that under the scorching sun and heat combined with a lack of water Eileen began experiencing delirium causing her to remove her suit which would have compromised her ability to stay afloat later diving weights and oxygen tanks were found some still containing air however none of the discovered items provided evidence of death caused by Marine Predators what was clear was that the couple didn't have enough time for anyone to find them alive on February 14th the search for the missing couple was officially called off 3 weeks is more than enough time for human bodies to be entirely consumed by the open ocean according to all biological and anatomical principles the Lans couldn't have survived unless they had been picked up by another boat but if that were the case they would have made contact the last message 6 months later a diving slate belonging to the couple was found 160 mi from where the tourists had disappeared this specialized slate is used for underwater communication and note taking thanks to it we now know how long Thomas and Eileen remained alive on one side of the Slate the message read Monday January 26th 1998 8: a. m. to anyone who can help us we were left behind at aent court Reef on January 25th 1998 at 300 p.
m. please help us send assistance before we die SOS the couple realized they were on the verge of death and used every possible means to save themselves even the smallest chance on October 10th 1998 police officer Noel Nunan made an official statement authorities believed that the missing man and woman likely passed away between 8:00 a. m.
