'Basically a carbon fibre tube': Inside OceanGate's Titanic submarine, as told by a former crewmember
CTV
A former member of an OceanGate expedition to the wreckage of the Titanic is sharing what it was is like for those onboard the submersible, and says although training is provided, the deep dive is not without risk.
A former member of an OceanGate expedition to the wreckage of the Titanic is sharing what it was is like for those onboard the submersible, and says although training is provided, the deep dive is not without risk.
"You're really pushing to the very limits of human capabilities," Colin Taylor, a former OceanGate mission specialist, told CTV News Channel on Monday. "Experiences down there are truly at the edge of what… human technology is capable of managing."
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, surface crews lost contact with the submersible approximately one hour and 45 minutes after it descended into a remote area of the ocean on Sunday morning.
That fits with Taylor's experience, and he highlighted that communication with the submersible is one of the most difficult parts of the dive, with the ability to contact those on the surface being restricted to a "sonar-like" device.
"There's no GPS down there," Taylor said. "You're restricted to text messaging, and the text messaging is incredibly slow."
However, it's not just communication difficulties that will complicate the search, there's also no light at that depth in the ocean and Taylor warned that in addition to the limited air supply, those aboard will also be dealing with frigid temperatures.
