The creator of the YouTube channel “Alan around the world” talks about what it’s like to travel in the submarine that disappeared last Sunday.
Diving 4,000 meters into the depths of the ocean to see the remains of the Titanic with your own eyes is something few have ever done.
The possibility of doing it on the Titan submarine — which disappeared on Sunday (06/18) with 5 people on board — seduced the Mexican youtuber and actor Alan Estrada two years ago, of the travel channel “Alan around the world“.
“All the people who made that expedition were fully aware of the risks we were running,” Estrada told BBC News Mundo (Spanish BBC service).
“But I never felt in danger. I was fully aware of the risks and I knew that if something happened, if there was a fault in those depths and the submarine imploded, we probably wouldn’t even notice.”
He discovered Titanic excursions during the pandemic when he was thinking about how to push his YouTube channel “over the edge.”
He did a research, sought sponsors to pay US$125,000 (about R$600,000) – the price per passenger has since doubled – and signed up for the trip in early 2021.
His first attempt in July 2021 was unsuccessful. She went down to the Titan with three other passengers and the pilot Stockton Rush, president of the OceanGate company, creator of this submarine, but due to technical problems they had to return to the surface shortly after the start of the journey.
A year later she sailed with another crew and passengers, this time successfully.
But before he could do that, he had to sign a document accepting responsibility for the dangers of traveling on an experimental vessel like the Titan submersible to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
“Read carefully all the things that can happen and you never know, but getting on a plane is also a risk. It sounds cliché, but life is a risk. And in the end, for many of us, it was worth it being able to see this majestic shipwreck,” says Estrada.
“It is something very spectacular for so many reasons. Knowing that so few people were in those depths, in front of that shipwreck, being the most famous on the planet, is something very special. To have something in front of you that has been seen so many times in documentaries and films it’s really impressive,” he says.
What it’s like to travel to the Titan
For Alan Estrada, embarking on a submarine journey is like launching a rocket ship, but the journey itself is not a very special experience.
“It’s not very special. You’re inside a capsule, which is something unthinkable for someone with claustrophobia, but nothing more. Something very impressive is the fact that you’re standing in front of that wreck,” he says.
There isn’t much room to move in the carbon fiber and titanium vessel. It measures 2.8 meters wide, 2.5 meters high and 6.7 meters deep, and has oxygen for 5 people for 96 hours.
The journey takes eight hours: two hours to descend 4,000 meters, up to four hours in the depths of the ocean to find and explore the Titanic and another two hours to return.
While inside the submersible, Estrada can pilot it, which is done with a wireless video game controller.
“There are just back, forward, up and down controls, and you can turn the ship. It’s very easy to maneuver. What’s complex are the communication and navigation systems to get to the remains of the Titanic in that darkness,” he says.
On his journey he also watched part of a film while waiting to reach the historic liner, as shown in one of his videos.
The submarine cannot be opened from the inside; it can only be opened by specialized equipment from the outside. That’s why, in the hypothetical case that the ship manages to reach the surface, the passengers would not be able to get out without outside help.
“There’s nothing else they can do. Just wait to be rescued. And I think they’ll be constantly trying to get communication back,” says Estrada.
‘Toy of the rich’ or scientific investigation?
Estrada says he knows these types of trips are “quite controversial” because of the amount of money spent by those who go for a walk under the sea.
“Some people see taking tourists as something very superficial, like a rich man’s plaything, but I also believe – and I’ve seen this with scientists I’ve met – that this is a way to explore the depths of the ocean, because it’s something very expensive,” he says.
The youtuber hopes that rescuers can find the passengers of the Titan alive and that “in the end, this is just a dark chapter from which you can learn a lot to continue exploring”.
Note: While the generic definition of a submarine also applies to submersible vessels such as the Titan, technically speaking a submersible vessel differs from a submarine in its self-propelled ability. According to the UK’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a submarine is a vessel capable of navigating the ocean on its own from a home port, while a submersible has limited reserves of energy having to be transported to the dive site by another vehicle who is responsible for launching and salvaging the vehicle.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
