The Reef is a 2010 Australian horror film. The film was written and directed by Andrew Traucki, his second feature film (the first being Black Water), and is about a group of friends who capsize while sailing to Indonesia. The group decides that their best bet for survival is to swim to a nearby island but they find themselves stalked by a great white shark.
Plot[]
Luke (Damian Walshe-Howling) is delivering a yacht to a customer in Indonesia, and invites his friend, Matt (Gyton Grantley), and Matt's girlfriend, Suzie (Adrienne Pickering), to join him as he sails there, along with Matt's sister, Kate (Zoe Naylor), and fellow sailor, Warren (Kieran Darcy-Smith). To get to Indonesia, they must sail through a coral reef. On the second day of their journey, the yacht strikes part of the reef and capsizes when the keel is destroyed, allowing water in.
With the current taking them further away from land, Luke gathers supplies from the overturned vessel with the intention of swimming to nearby Turtle Island. With the group gathered on top of the overturned hull, Warren activates the yacht's EPIRB, but Luke informs him that it is an older model that requires a plane to fly overhead to receive the signal. When Luke suggests the others join him in swimming to the island, which he estimates to be twelve miles away, Warren refuses, as he believes the water is shark-infested. With encouragement, Suzie and Matt follow Luke into the water as he begins the journey. Kate also initially refuses, but changes her mind shortly after and comes with the group, leaving Warren alone on the overturned boat.
During their journey, the group find the carcass of a sea turtle that has had its head bitten off. On the overturned yacht, Warren spots a large great white shark circling the vessel. Soon, the group is stalked by the same shark. It approaches them several times, even brushing past Kate before leaving. Kate and Suzie are supported by Matt and Luke as they are both in shock. However, during the encounter, Kate lost the bodyboard she was using as a flotation device. When Matt goes to retrieve it, he is attacked by the shark. His legs are severed and he quickly dies. As night falls, Luke, Kate and Suzie are once more stalked by the shark. Suzie blames Luke for talking the group into swimming to an island he seemingly can't find.
In the morning, the group has drifted to a shallow area of the reef, where they are able to stand and rest. In the distance, they can see a larger rock formation protruding from the water, and they swim towards it. Paranoia affects the group as they continue. They share a laugh when they mistake a dolphin for the shark that took Matt. However, the shark soon returns and kills Suzie. Luke and Kate rest on the reef, and they declare their love for each other. They begin to swim the final distance to the rocks as the shark closes in. Luke assists Kate to climb to safety, but as he himself climbs onto the rocks the shark seizes him and drags him underwater. As she sits on the barren rock, Kate scans the ocean as she continues to call Luke's name and cries hysterically in devastation.
The written epilogue reveals that Kate was rescued by a fishing boat the next day, however extensive searches failed to locate Warren or the vessel.