After the OceanGate submarine tragedy, YouTuber DALLMYD talks about his expedition with OceanGate and gives insight into what it was like on the submarine. He and the crew couldn't go for the dive because of control issues.
The tragedy around OceanGate had people holding their breaths last week. The missing submarine was set to dive to the Titanic until contact to the vessel was lost, followed by a rescue mission that unfortunately failed. The submarine imploded, and all five passengers lost their lives.
Jake Koehler, aka DALLMYD on YouTube, is widely popular for his scuba diving content. Following the tragic events on the submarine "Titan", he shared his personal experience with OceanGate, where he was filming Mission 3. Ultimately, this expedition got cancelled for various reasons. Just a few weeks later, the submarine set out on Mission 5 and didn't return. His video gives some scary insights, knowing what was about to happen.
- If you're interested about OceanGate as a whole and its founder, you can read up on that here .
The OceanGate Experience
Knowing the expedition was supposed to be a fun and exciting trip, DALLMYD's video obviously isn't as grave as one would expect. The footage was filmed weeks before the disaster and the whole crew, as well as DALLMYD and his girlfriend, were just trying to have a good time.
So, the clips from the boat and the crew are all smiles and laughter, and DALLMYD excitedly shares how it is to be on board. He shows the cabin where he and his girlfriend stay for the planned nine day long trip to the Titanic site and goes cookie hunting. Knowing what would happen a few weeks down the line on Mission 5 makes viewing those clips a bit upsetting, to be honest.
DALLMYD also talks about Stockton Rush, OceanGate's late CEO. The YouTuber describes him as nice and kind, just like the rest of the crew, and you can hear it in his voice that it's tough to know for DALLMYD that he's gone.
A hard gut punch is one particular scene in the video where Rush explains to his passengers why he called off the planned dive for the time being. It's not only the bad weather preventing them from diving, there were issues that would later have the world hold its breath.
“It Just Didn't Seem Quite Right. Mostly, Because We Gotta Find Out What This Control Problem Is.”
First off, when DALLMYD was with the crew of Mission 3, and they set out to the Titanic site, they had an issue with the weather. The YouTuber showed the rough waves and how all the passengers rolled from one side of the ship to the other on their chairs, rocking along with the waves. For that reason, Mission 3 was postponed.
After that, DALLMYD shows a briefing on the ship. Stockton Rush explains why they couldn't set out again, and honestly, it's a bit hard to watch.
"It just didn't seem quite right, to put it bluntly. That's why I called it. Mostly, because we gotta find out what this control problem is. That's sort of important - controlling the sub. It's up there with life support."
Knowing those issues, DALLMYD says he feels like he dodged a bullet. He would have gone on the submarine and went down to the Titanic, he claims, given the chance.
What the YouTuber did get to do was a test dive, showing his audience the inside of the Titan and the process of getting in. And, yet again, knowing what we know now, some of the scenes are quite upsetting.
After getting on the tiny submarine, DALLMYD explains how they prepare for the dive, showing the screws being tightened from inside the Titan. “They literally bolt you shut", DALLMYD says as a way of explaining, “There is no way of escaping.”
Still, the video is all smiles and laughter – which is understandable and horrifying and the same time. For DALLMYD, this was an exciting expedition and an amazing opportunity. Now, a few weeks later, it's a tragedy.
The test dive didn't go on for that long, and they also couldn't get that deep. The Titan didn't even leave the platform it was on. Still, they were underwater for a bit, and even watching the footage makes me feel a bit claustrophobic.
It's morbidly fascinating, getting some more insight of the latest tragedy. Still, our thoughts go out to those who passed away on Mission 5 and their family members.