Arnie Weissmann
I've written before about my tangential relationship with the OceanGate tragedy: I was set to dive in the submersible Titan three weeks prior to its implosion, but the dives were canceled due to bad weather. Nonetheless, I spent a week on the mother ship with a ringside view of the OceanGate operation. I got to know CEO Stockton Rush, French wreck diver Paul-Henri "P.H." Nargeolet, OceanGate staff, volunteers and my fellow "mission specialists" who were hoping to dive to see the ruins of the Titanic.
Additionally, I was an acquaintance of Hamish Harding, a passenger who perished in the implosion. I had spent time with him just days before the catastrophe.
I wrote a three-part series in Travel Weekly during the time of the intense search for the missing submersible. In it, I noted that Rush had told me that the carbon fiber used in the hull of the Titan had been purchased at a discount because it was past its use-by date for commercial aviation.
Now that the U.S. Coast Guard has come out with the results of its investigation of the calamity, a lot of questions are officially put to rest. But it would be disingenuous for me to say that it's put the OceanGate saga to rest for me; days may go by that I don't think about it, but not many weeks do.
On the day that the remains of the Titan were found, I started getting calls from news organizations. Most were focused on the expired carbon fiber.
The next morning, CNN sent a crew to interview me for a documentary that it was making on the disaster, and Anderson Cooper interviewed me live from St. John's, Newfoundland.
Ultimately, I was quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and scores of media outlets here and abroad that ran the two Associated Press stories I appeared in.
A Reddit thread based on the Travel Weekly stories appeared, and others made YouTube mini-documentaries, some very conspiracy-minded, based on my writing. People on Reddit were generally less snarky than comments under other stories; one Washington Post reader called me out as being luckier than smart. I can't argue with that.
The CNN documentary led to calls from others hoping to make a documentary on the topic. Some were producers asking that I speak to them exclusively as part of their pitch to find an outlet. Netflix called me when I was on an icebreaker en route to the North Pole. ABC asked for an interview for a documentary it was making, but I sensed it might be somewhat sensationalized and declined to appear.
I was interviewed by the chief investigator for the Coast Guard. The articles I wrote were cited in a lawsuit against OceanGate filed by Nargeolet's family.
I spoke with Netflix for their documentary and thought the resulting film was very well done. I was not in the final cut, but if you were to fast-forward to the last screen of credits, about 40 names are listed on a "Special Thanks" page. It appears for about a second and a half. Mine is the last name listed. If you look for it, don't blink.
The Netflix documentary shows what appears to be texts among OceanGate staff questioning the company's methods and regard for safety. In one, there is mention of "expired carbon fiber."
It was, at last, public corroboration of what Rush had told me. In the hundreds of stories written about the tragedy, I never saw anyone else mention expired carbon fiber. The captain of the mother ship was present when Rush said it to me and confirmed to me that he also heard it, but I felt pretty lonely out there as the only one reporting that particular aspect of the tragedy.
Still, watching the Netflix documentary saddened me deeply. The images on the ship brought back people I had gotten to know, shown in a celebratory mood and full of hopeful anticipation.
In the two years since the implosion I have been in touch with some people in the OceanGate-adjacent community. Many stayed loyal to Rush even after his cavalier attitude toward safety became clear. A few tried to talk me out of speaking with Netflix, sensing it would not show him in a good light. Most have now flipped, with some especially angry with him for abusing their trust.
As for me, the most lasting impact occurs when I'm in the middle of an interesting conversation on a topic completely unrelated to OceanGate. Or when simply hanging out with family. It'll strike me that I would have missed those interactions had I gone down in the Titan when I was scheduled to. I'm glad to be alive.
I'll still pursue opportunities for exploration but with more emphasis on due diligence than trust. And, stay focused on Roald Amundsen's observation: "Adventure is just bad planning."