Like the rest of the world, I have been closely following the search for the missing tourist submersible, Titan, that disappeared on Sunday during what was supposed to be a journey to the ocean depths to get up close and personal with the remains of the legendary Titanic. As I write this, although rescuers are reporting picking up “banging sounds” that could be either man-made from inside Titan or sea junk floating around the Titanic wreckage, estimates are that the approximately 4-day supply of air onboard the vessel has either been depleted or is on the verge of being depleted.
There are five souls aboard the submersible, including the vessel’s operator and CEO of the company that conducts the tours, a British businessman, a Pakistani businessman and his 19-year-old son, and a French explorer. The passengers paid a quarter of a million dollars each to go to the bottom of sea in a tin can the size of a minivan that is so small you can’t stand or sit in any position other than “criss cross applesauce,” is bolted shut from the outside so that there is no means of exit or escape from the inside, is literally maneuvered using a video game joystick, has lights turned off during both the 2 ½ hour descent to the wreck and the 2 ½ hour ascent back to the mothership, and has not been certified by any governmental or maritime agency as being safe. In fact, a letter signed by numerous experts in the field of oceanography and exploration implored OceanGate, the company behind this venture, not to conduct these tours until a number of safety tests and certifications had been conducted. It was an idea that the company scoffed at.
Before I go any further, let me say that what is beginning to look more and more like a tragic and needless loss of life is heartbreaking and my condolences go out to the families of those onboard. If indeed the vessel is out of oxygen as experts suspect, it’s a terrible way to die. The loss for the families will be unfathomable and I truly am sad for them.
That said, these people knew what they were getting into. They knew that this was a daredevil stunt that only a handful of people wealthy enough to pony up $250,000 had experienced, and… that it was dangerous. According to published reports, the waiver that each passenger had to sign before boarding had the word “death” on the first page a minimum of three times. Right now, this foolhardy exercise has resulted in a wide scale search that rescue experts say will cost millions of dollars. And who’s footing the bill? You and me.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that every possible attempt at rescue and recovery shouldn’t be made until all options are exhausted. I’m not saying that the Coast Guard and other agencies involved shouldn’t spend whatever it takes to try and find Titan. We’re talking human lives here. Anything that can be done should be done.
What I have an issue with are thrill seekers who decide to risk their lives to see what is arguably the most photographed and video recorded shipwreck in history and get lost, and people who decide to climb a treacherous mountain for fun and get stuck, or folks who decide to sail around the world on a life raft “just cause” and disappear or, and mark my words, this will happen, take a tourist space flight that goes wrong and requires extraordinary measures to recover and stick the rest of us with the tab for millions of dollars in rescue resources because they wanted to play explorer.
I’m not saying that people shouldn’t push boundaries or try and discover the unknown. Where would we be today without those who did such things throughout world history? The problem is that these people aren’t engaging in these activities for the good of mankind. They’re doing it for the thrill. That being the case, I think that if you engage in activities like this and you have to be rescued, YOU (or if worse comes to worse) or your estate should be responsible for the costs.
I say ride at your own risk, and on your own dime.