The host of "Expedition Unknown" on Discovery Plus considered and ultimately decided against filming on OceanGate's Titan submersible over "safety concerns."
On Wednesday, Josh Gates tweeted that he had passed on an opportunity to film the Titanic wreckage for his docuseries because the company's submersible "did not perform well" on a dive he went on.
"I had the unique opportunity to dive in the @Oceangate #Titan sub with [OceanGate CEO] Stockton [Rush] at the helm in preparation for its maiden mission to Titanic," Gates wrote, as the multinational operation to rescue the five men in the submersible entered its fourth day. "I pray for a positive outcome to the rescue efforts of those aboard, including fellow @ExplorersClub member Hamish Harding."
In a follow-up tweet, Gates explained why he decided against filming on the Titan.
"To those asking, #Titan did not perform well on my dive," he said. "Ultimately, I walked away from a huge opportunity to film Titanic due to my safety concerns w/ the @OceanGate platform. There's more to the history and design of Titan that has not been made public — much of it concerning."
As social media users panned the men who paid $250,000 each for their seat on the doomed submersible, Gates said their courage was admirable.
"To those questioning why people would dive to Titanic: the ship has fascinated the world since the night she sank," he tweeted. "It's a time capsule to another era of our history. It takes courage to make a trip like this. Admiration and prayers for the passengers aboard."
The passengers included Rush, British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding, veteran French diver and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman.
The OceanGate submersible went missing off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, during a sight-seeing expedition to the wreckage of the Titanic on Monday. Following a frantic seach operation, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that debris of the Titan was found on Thursday.
All five passengers of the submersible likely died in an instant after their vessel suffered what the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday was a "catastrophic implosion" in the ocean depths.
OceanGate said in a statement that its "hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time."
"These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world's oceans," the company said.
"We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew."
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