James Cameron is no stranger to deep sea exploration, or the exploration of the RMS Titanic, in particular. For his 1997 epic, “Titanic,” Cameron took cameras under the waves to capture the sunken wreckage, increasing the film’s realism. To do this, he used submersibles similar to the Titan. And in 2012, he descended six miles below the waves to explore the Mariana Trench, considered the deepest part of Earth’s oceans, using a submersible of his own design. Given the filmmaker’s relevant background, he had some harsh words regarding the now high-profile misjudgments that doomed the Titan.
“It’s absolutely critical that people understand that deep submersible diving is a mature art,” Cameron told ABC News, referring to the loss of the Titan and her passengers as the submersible diving community’s greatest fear. He went on to say that the Titan Expedition was widely considered dangerous prior to its downward journey. “A lot of people in the community were concerned about this submarine and even wrote letters to the company saying what they were doing was too experimental and what they were doing needed to be certified,” remarked the director.
Indeed, reports since Sunday indicated that a number of red flags, irregularities and safety issues were known to OceanGate Expeditions, the Titan’s operator, ahead of its final and fatal voyage. CNN reported several previous issues with the small exploration vessel, including a battery issue, a rebuilt hull and another trip that was canceled when an OceanGate submersible lost contact with its vessel after falling just 37ft. beneath the surface.