The 2019 thriller film 47 Meters Down: Uncaged may bring some ocean lovers' real fears about shark attacks to life on screen, but is the film as real as it feels? Johannes Roberts' film followed the success of his prequel 47 Meters Down, which starred Mandy Moore and Claire Holt as sisters who get trapped in a cage at the ocean's floor while deep sea diving. The second film follows an entirely different story with a very similar theme. However, as the title suggests, the characters in the second film swim with the sharks, uncaged in the ancient Mayan ruins.
47 Meters Down: Uncaged is set in Mexico, where Mia and her stepsister Sasha struggle to get along and cope with their family dynamic. After finding out that some girls at school, led by Catherine, pushed Mia into the pool, her father, Grant, plans for Mia and Sasha to go on a boat ride to look at great white sharks. Unfortunately, Catherine and her friends are also there for the tour leading Mia, Sasha, and their friends Alexa and Nicole to sneak off to a secret lagoon where they swim down to the Mayan ruins and battle the great white sharks face-to-face, with only Mia and Sasha making it out alive. There have been several shark attacks in Mexico throughout history, but that doesn't mean 47 Meters Down: Uncaged is a true story.
No, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged Is Not A True Story
Roberts has confirmed his story was entirely made up, though it may have been inspired by some shark attacks that have occurred in Mexico. However, the story and characters were not real. 47 Meters Down: Uncaged seems to be more Jaws-inspired and less Soul Surfer. Roberts did admit the dynamic between Mia and Sasha was inspired by the famous John Hughes film The Breakfast Club, as they didn't get along at the beginning of the film, but the events of the film brought them together by the end.
However, for any fans wondering if Mia and Sasha were real sisters, Roberts made it clear they were only characters he made up. However, what was real about 47 Meters Down: Uncaged was the Mayan ruins. In 2018, National Geographic reported that Mayan artifacts were discovered in an underwater cave in Mexico. Researchers from the Great Maya Aquifer Project also made the discovery of the world's largest underwater cave system.
The Truth About Shark Attacks In Mexico
In 2019 when 47 Meters Down: Uncaged was released, there were a reported 108 attacks worldwide, and none of them had occurred in Mexico. The chances of getting attacked by a shark remain low. However, there still are cases, one occurring in Mexico just this year. Tracking Sharks reports the first fatal shark attack of the year occurred on January 5th, 2023 in Tobari Bay, Mexico. Like the 47 Meters Down: Uncaged characters, Manuel Lopez was scuba diving and searching for mollusks when he was decapitated by a 19-foot great white shark. A similar shark attack occurred on February 12th, 2022, off Sonora, Mexico, when diver Victor Estrella was looking for scallops. In 2018, Nahum Aguilera also lost his life to a shark near Puerto Penasco.
While the 47 Meters Down: Uncaged characters and story may be made up, there are a few things Roberts got right. With the existence of Mayan ruins and the recent shark attack in Mexico, as well as those in the past, the events of the film aren't impossible. Still, the truth stands that shark attacks are uncommon, and most high school girls are hopefully smart enough not to go exploring on their own when they're supposed to be on a boat tour, like the characters in the second 47 Meters Down film.