Josh Gates, an explorer and the host of “Expedition Unknown” and more shows on the Discovery Channel, revealed on Twitter that he turned down a chance to visit the wreckage of the Titanic using OceanGate’s now-missing Titan submersible. Gates was supposed to film on the submersible but decided against it after discovering “safety concerns.”
“I had the unique opportunity to dive in the OceanGate Titan sub with [company CEO] Stockton [Rush] at the helm in preparation for its maiden mission to Titanic,” Gates wrote. “I pray for a positive outcome to the rescue efforts of those aboard, including fellow ‘Explorers Club’ member Hamish Harding.”
Gates added, “To those asking, Titan did not perform well on my dive. Ultimately, I walked away from a huge opportunity to film Titanic due to my safety concerns with the OceanGate platform. There’s more to the history and design of Titan that has not been made public — much of it concerning.”
OceanGate’s Titan submersible is designed to take five people to a depth of 4,000 meters to visit the wreckage of the Titanic. The trip costs around $250,000 per person. The structure has an oxygen life support span of 96 hours (four days) for five people. Each round-trip journey to the Titanic wreckage can take up to 10 hours. Guests aboard the missing submersible include British businessman Hamish Harding; British Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman; former French Navy diver Paul-Henry Nargeolet; and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.
“To those questioning why people would dive to Titanic: the ship has fascinated the world since the night she sank,” Gates also wrote on Twitter. “It’s a time capsule to another era of our history. It takes courage to make a trip like this. Admiration and prayers for the passengers aboard OceanGate Titan.”
The search area for the missing truck-sized vessel is now 10,000 square miles of ocean but rescue teams are still struggling to locate the sub. On Thursday morning, the BBC reported that 10 extra ships and a number of remote submarines are joining the operation, which will effectively double the search effort.
I had the unique opportunity to dive in the @Oceangate #Titan sub with Stockton at the helm in preparation for its maiden mission to Titanic. I pray for a positive outcome to the rescue efforts of those aboard, including fellow @ExplorersClub member Hamish Harding. pic.twitter/z6jjLf6tO6
— Josh Gates (@joshuagates) June 21, 2023
To those asking, #Titan did not perform well on my dive. Ultimately, I walked away from a huge opportunity to film Titanic due to my safety concerns w/ the @OceanGate platform. There's more to the history and design of Titan that has not been made public – much of it concerning.
— Josh Gates (@joshuagates) June 21, 2023
To those questioning why people would dive to Titanic: the ship has fascinated the world since the night she sank. It's a time capsule to another era of our history. It takes courage to make a trip like this. Admiration and prayers for the passengers aboard @OceanGate #Titan.
— Josh Gates (@joshuagates) June 21, 2023
