The Ocean Is Not Disneyland: Scientist Requests A Stop To All Tourist Excursions To Shipwrecks

A renowned scientist who survived a terrifying expedition to the Titanic shipwreck in 2000 has called for tougher restrictions on expeditions to the century-old wreckage as the world struggles with the news of the deaths of all five people aboard the deep-sea submersible, named Titan, which was on a doomed voyage to the wreckage.

The physicist and former news correspondent Dr. Michael Guillen, 63, is proud to have been the first journalist to take part in an excursion to the Titanic disaster, among other accolades.

“Should we allow tourism to continue to the Titanic? I am not gonna be so presumptuous as to say yes or no right now because I can see arguments either way. However … if we allow tourism to continue, then two important questions need to be asked and we have to have satisfactory answers.

“Number one, why do you want to go to the Titanic; and number two – how do you want to get there? We need to be careful about people’s motives for going there and how they propose to get there, for two reasons – the ocean is unforgiving, and the ocean is dangerous. This is not a Disneyland ride,” Guillen spoke to broadcaster Newsroom Afrika.

“This (the Titanic) is not just the site of a wrecked ship. This is a graveyard. People lost their lives. This is their final resting place. It is sacred ground and we need to respect that.”

Guillen traveled on a Russian research vessel to the Titanic site in 2000.

Just one hour before the deaths of the five persons aboard the Titan were officially verified on Thursday night, the scientist spoke to broadcaster Newsroom Afrika about his harrowing experience at the Titanic crash site.

“Honestly, I just want to go away and hide. This has been very hard, to know what those poor people are suffering. I feel that it is important for people to know the dangers.

For me, I was invited to become the first correspondent to report on the Titanic. I was hesitant because I have a fear of water,” he said.

Scientist Guillen said when their research ship parked above the Titanic wreckage and they dived in a submersible, into the deep waters for more than two hours, “it was quite fascinating”.

Moments later, the fascination almost turned into tragedy as the small submersible became stuck in one of the giant Titanic’s propellers.

“We went from the bow to the stern, and that is when the problem started. I noticed our sub picking up speed and accelerating towards this giant propeller and the stern. I talked to myself, why? And I realized we were caught in an underwater current that took us right into the blades of the propeller.

“You have to understand the propellers are much bigger than our little sub. We somehow got caught behind these giant blades and the body of the ship. Immediately, I knew that we were in a life-threatening situation,” Guillen narrated.

The scientist said he had taken the expedition fully cognisant of the inherent risks.

“I didn’t go foolishly, and I didn’t take it lightly. I didn’t feel like I was going on a vacation to Barbados. I understood what I was doing. I was doing my job and I wanted to do it with excellence, which is what I always do,” he recounted.

Guillen has appealed for a temporary suspension of expeditions to the Titanic ship wreckage.

“In this case, I feel that there should be at least a temporary pause. I am not talking about a permanent ban on any further trips to the Titanic until we found out what went wrong. That is why it is important we continue this search, to find that vessel, otherwise, we will never know that.

“We should prepare ourselves right now for what is going to happen in space. We have people like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and (Richard) Branson in the UK developing space tourism. There will be people who will pay lots of money to just go into the suborbital just for the experience. I am not gonna judge them, they have every right if they have the money to afford it.

“We need to prepare ourselves that there will be accidents such as this. Think about Mars. Who is gonna volunteer to go to Mars and how in the world could we possibly rescue them if something between here and Mars happens to them,” said Scientist Guillen.

According to the US Coast Guard, the Titan had a “catastrophic implosion” on Thursday, which claimed the lives of everyone on board.

Three passengers, one crew member, and one pilot were all aboard the small boat when it vanished in the North Atlantic on Sunday. The Titan was on a risky mission to investigate the Titanic shipwreck in deep waters off the coast of Canada.

The journey on the submersible boat, according to accounts, was the highlight of a tourist adventure that cost $250,000 (about R4.5 million) per person.