What OceanGate’s Titanic dive was like, according to a former expedition member

A former member of an OceanGate expedition to the 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.”

The interior of the Titan is shown in an image from OceanGate.

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.

The interior of the Titan is shown in an image from OceanGate.

“The vessel itself is basically a carbon fibre… tube,” Taylor said. “But the ship itself is will get cold.”

Watch the full interview at the top of this article for more of Taylor’s reflections on the trip and whether he’d go again after the latest news.