Discovery Channel’s Josh Gates Turned Down OceanGate Trip Due To Safety Concerns
By Movieguide® Contributor
Discovery Channel explorer Josh Gates revealed why he turned down the opportunity to visit the Titanic wreckage with OceanGate.
“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,” he shared. “To those asking, Titan did not perform well on my dive.”
OceanGate is the company behind the submersible that went missing earlier this week. Pieces of the vessel have since been found — it appears that the submarine imploded.
“We had issues with thruster control. We had issues with the computers aboard, we had issues with comms. I just felt as though the sub needed more time, and it needed more testing,” Gates said.
“It represented, frankly, too much risk, and it just wasn’t for me in the end.” Gates tells Piers Morgan.
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet were on board at the time. They have been pronounced dead.
Gates tweeted about his experience with OceanGate and why he ultimately turned down the opportunity to film aboard one of their subs.
Gates continued, “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.”
He also explained why people are still fascinated by the Titanic wreckage.
“To those questioning why people would dive to Titanic: the ship has fascinated the world since the night she sank,” Gates said. “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.”
“I just remain so heartbroken for the families of these people and for the passengers,” Gates says. He shares that he personally knew Rush and Hamish Harding, who were both passengers on the sub’s recent voyage.
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.com/z6jjLf6tO6
— Josh Gates (@joshuagates) June 21, 2023
OceanGate released a statement about the tragic accident.
“This is an extremely sad time for our dedicated employees who are exhausted and grieving deeply over this loss,” the statement read. “The entire OceanGate family is deeply grateful for the countless men and women from multiple organizations of the international community who expedited wide-ranging resources and have worked so very hard on this mission.”
It continued, “We appreciate their commitment to finding these five explorers, and their days and nights of tireless work in support of our crew and their families. This is a very sad time for the entire explorer community, and for each of the family members of those lost at sea. We respectfully ask that the privacy of these families be respected during this most painful time.”
Our prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives in the accident.
