The chubby seal accidentally fell into the water while sleeping. The companion next to him thought it was dangerous, panicked and jumped into the water one by one to save himself...
Thematically, the film’s ending is a tremendous example of irony. Had Neil Macaulay (Robert DeNiro) maintained the discipline he built his life as a profession thief upon, he would have flown to New Zealand and escaped to a new life, with Eady (Amy Brenneman) at his side, ready to start a new life together, but it was his loyalty to his compatriots and his focus on detail and completeness of the job that drove him to be sidetracked by the chance to inflict his vengeance upon Waingro (Kevin Gage), which lead Neil to be reengaged by Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), ultimately leading to his death.
Had he been able to let go of that need to close off every detail and express his vengeance against those who had wronged his friends, Neil would have survived, and Vincent would have been utterly frustrated.
But his failure to focus on his escape, in yet another layer of ironic subtext, Neil’s loss allows the protection of unknown innocents via his execution of the serial killer Waingro, so there is still dignity in Neil’s sacrifice, even if it is unwitting. 🍿Heat | 1995