A man who previously visited the Titanic wreckage aboard the OceanGate submersible has revealed how he thought ‘this could be the end’ as he prepared to travel to the depths of the ocean.
Rescuers are desperately attempting to locate the vessel after it disappeared on Sunday (18 June), with OceanGate – the company behind the tourist trips – confirming five crew members on board were missing.
It is feared the submersible may be hard to find as the wreckage site itself sits on the ocean floor at a depth of around 12,500 feet (3,800 meters), making it difficult to access, even with sophisticated submersibles.
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US television writer, Mike Reiss, has spoken out about his experiences visiting the Titanic on the sub, having done three separate dives, including one to the sunken ocean liner.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he said he was ‘not optimistic’ about the prospect of finding those missing, but stressed that he did not feel the ‘beautifully designed’ sub was a ‘shoddy ship’.
Reiss recalled how he had to sign a ‘massive’ waiver form that mentioned death multiple times.
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He said: "To get on the boat that takes you to the Titanic, you sign a massive wavier that you could die on the trip.
"On the list, they mention death three times on page one and it's never far from your mind. As I was getting on the submarine, this could be the end.
"Nobody who was in this situation was caught off-guard. You all know what you're getting into, it's exploration, it's not a vacation, and it's not thrill-seeking, it's not like skydiving, these are explorers and travellers who want to see something."
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Reiss added: "This is not to say it's a shoddy ship, it's just all new technology and they're learning it as they go along.
"You have to remember the early days of the space program, or the early days aviation, where you make a lot of mistakes on the way to figuring out what you're doing."
Reiss, whose writing credits include The Simpsons, said communication was lost during all three of his dives.
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He said: "I'm not optimistic because I just know the logistics of it and I know how vast the ocean is and how very tiny this craft is.
"It's a beautifully designed craft. I can't disparage it, it's meant to go down further than any other vessel than anything else.
"If it's down at the bottom, I don't know how anyone is going to be able to access it and bring it back up.
"There is hope it's at, or near, the surface. The phrase we keep hearing is we lost communication. I did three separate dives, one to the Titanic and two more off the coast of New York, and every time they lost communication."
Jess Hardiman