There aren’t many movies about or featuring diving, so perhaps my tolerance for poor quality is higher than it would otherwise be. This is an undemanding thriller set in the Bahamas.
A regular-featured cast, sunshine, clear water and an uncomplicated plot make this a crowd pleaser. The main character is a diving instructor and his girlfriend is a shark handler, and there’s a fair amount of scuba and free diving (which I find tremendously impressive… I can hold my breath for about ten seconds at a stretch). The film does demonstrate how quickly things can go wrong on a dive, as well as the use of lift bags, buddy breathing and a scene in which one of the characters takes breaths directly from the pillar valve of a cylinder while swimming into an aeroplane carcass ten metres below the surface of the ocean. All skills that it’s useful to have.
The Bahamas are riddled with shipwrecks, and you see a range of nifty gadgets for finding and recovering material on the ocean floor. The cast dive in board shorts and bikinis most of the time, testament to the balmy water temperatures in the region.
One doesn’t actually see that much marine life apart from some sharks – including an unfortunate shark attack which did not seem to be a factual representation of shark behaviour. Ah well. There’s not a lot to be seen in the way of coral, fish or sea plants. Most of the underwater shots are over a fine white sand bottom.
This isn’t high quality film making, but it’s reasonably entertaining. If anything, this movie will make you want to run away to warmer waters and become a treasure hunter.
Kalahari.net stocks the DVD, as do Amazon.com.
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