Originally produced by the American independent film company The Asylum, “Shark Season” was re-released in 2021 by Lifetime with the altered title “Deep Blue Nightmare.” The film stars Michael Madsen, a consistent and frequent Tarantino talent, as the anxious father whose daughter gets lost in the sea, followed by a shiver of sharks. In terms of action, there is not much of it, only an exhausting amount of kayaking and rowing, both shown and implied.
Deep Blue Nightmare (Shark Season, 2021) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
A Dolphin’s Distress: A Threat Looms Large?
After recently losing her mother, Sarah has only her father, James, as her family. James, who lives away from her daughter, calls her up one day and suggests she should take to painting once again. Sarah is not ready, as it reminds her of her mother. Sarah tells James that she has to leave. She is going to the ocean to get some photos clicked by her friend, Jason. Jason brings in a makeup artist, Megan, to accompany them in their shoot.
The initial plan was to go for the shoot on an island off the Cudjoe basin. However, Jason suggests that a submerged rock formation that has emerged in one of the channels leading to Florida Bay can serve as their location. The three agree to undertake a three-hour kayaking journey to reach their destination. The three chat about Sarah’s father, who is on the Civil Air Patrol. After some time Megan notices a pod of dolphins decorating their path. However, while taking photographs of the dolphins, Sarah feels that one of the dolphins has bite marks on it. Unbeknownst to the three, there is a shark in hot pursuit.
Who does Sarah Call?
Once on the rock, the shoot begins. Megan asks Jason about his relationship with Sarah. Jason explains that he had a relationship with Sarah for a while, but it’s a friendship now. Jason admires James and leaves no opportunity to profess his admiration for him. On the other hand, Sarah expresses her approval of Megan in case Jason has the idea of pursuing her in his mind. Jason and Sarah take a break from the shoot and start frolicking in the water. Megan notices a shark approaching them from the rock. Despite Megan’s best efforts to alert them, Jason gets chomped down by the shark.
With Jason gone and the phone battery dying, there is only one call that Sarah can make. Sarah insists on calling her father, but Megan feels she is just wasting time if she does not call 911. Sarah and Megan argue, but Sarah finally decides to call James, and either way, James gets alerted for a search and rescue operation. James advises Sarah to stay on the rock for as long as she can afford. An anxious Sarah tells James to speed up the rescue as the girls would not be able to remain in one place for long due to the rising waters of the high tide.
Can Sarah Outsmart the Predator?
James contacts a Navy official who says that locating the girls is difficult due to the absence of a three-tower model. The team has to rely heavily on the information provided by James. Sarah and Megan discuss the risks of venturing into the water again. While Megan is anxious about kayaking with the shark circling around, Sarah thinks it is unwise to sit idly on the rock as it will be under the water soon, and they would suffer the same fate as Jason.
The two spot a dry land and try to reach the place. Soon, they get followed by a shiver. Sarah realizes that the sharks are attracted to the vibrations of two separate shapes (of kayaks) in the water. She suggests tying the two kayaks together to give them one shape in the water, as it would make them look bigger. That rarely makes a difference, as one of the sharks constantly attempts to attack them. A man in a jet ski whooshes past them, but the shark eats him, too. Seeing an opportunity to escape, Sarah tries to reach the jet ski, but Megan shouts at her, telling her that without the lanyard, which has gone down with the man, the jet ski is useless. The girls take respite in a sandbar with shallow water.
What does Megan confess to Sarah about Jason?
Megan tells Sarah that she is not ready to join this photography gig, knowing Jason’s feelings for Sarah. Although Sarah no longer fosters any feelings for him, Jason loves her a lot. Megan says she would not have been with him if they were still together. Sarah recounts her mother’s death and her helpless state following the diagnosis of her mother’s cancer, as the family could do little. After her mother’s death, Sarah fell out of love with Jason and decided to split. Sarah found it unnecessary to hold on to Jason and make his life revolve around her mother. She felt Jason deserved someone who could love him better. As they talk, the rescue helicopter flies over them in a different direction. The little island they were in is now flooding.
What’s the Reason Behind the Whale Strandings?
Sarah manages to charge her phone with a solar charger and calls James. James notifies her about the possibility of king tides in the area where they are due to the phase of the moon. All the islands of the area will soon be overwhelmed. James, who has spent three minutes talking to Sarah on the phone, notifies the Navy about her new location.
The Navy official reports to James that after a talk with The Fish and Wildlife and the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Mammal Stranding Network Coordinating, he has come to know of an incident involving a pod of whales being found dead on the outer shoals of the Cudhoe basin. The whales, thirty in number, were stranded and died in shallow water. It could have something to do with the recent hurricane, but there is no way to confirm that. The NOAA left the carcasses to decompose and return to nature, following the standard operating procedure.
What has Caused the Increase in Appetite in the Sharks?
However, the story gets complicated from here. There have been recent reports from boaters and fishermen about the appearance of a massive six-meter-long great white shark in the area feeding on the carcasses. The NOAA removed the carcasses to stop the shark’s movements, but that did not help. It is believed that since sharks are opportunistic feeders, finding such a huge reservoir of whale carcasses is a rare opportunity. Hence, the removal of the carcasses did the opposite of what was believed to be the case– instead of the shark leaving the area, the shark now patrols the area with an increased appetite, looking for prey. The shark has now turned predatory in nature, trying to drive off other predators. So, going after the kayak could be explained in terms of trying to protect its territory.
The Navy official reminds James that if they are indeed searching in the wrong area, the search operation would require a lot of refueling. This means they would not be allowed to take full advantage of the daylight for the search operation to occur smoothly. James demands the team change the search grid and look out for the girls further south.
Deep Blue Nightmare (Shark Season, 2021) Movie Ending Explained:
Do Sarah and Megan survive the shark attack?
The sharks have not stopped chasing Sarah and Megan. As Sarah holds position with a knife, a rescue chopper arrives. However, it is impossible for the chopper to land as there are too many submerged reefs, an obstacle to water clarity. The chopper has to leave to refuel. Finally, a motorboat reaches the two girls and directs them to paddle towards the boat. Sarah pleads for the boat to go to them instead. Suddenly, Megan drops into the water, but Sarah saves her in time. The shark causes their kayak to turn over, and both of them fall into the water.
Sarah panics upon losing her knife. Megan manages to swim to the boat. However, Sarah is still in the water, fighting for her life. Finally, Sarah kills the shark with her oar and gets rescued. After being rescued, Sarah calls James and expresses her desire to think about her mother’s studio and reignite her passion for painting. The rescue sees a start to the girls’ friendship, and the two think of going to Mexico.
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