Former passenger: We’re hoping for a ‘Hollywood ending’ in submersible search

Aaron Newman, a former Titan passenger who knows several of the people inside the missing submersible, joins TODAY to talk about the conditions inside the vessel, shares his hope they will be found in a “Hollywood ending” and says he felt “very safe” when he rode in the sub. DISCLOSURE: Newman is also an investor in OceanGate.

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#titanic #ocean #rescue

[cats]

How he was taking about them in the past tense already, kind of shows you how bleak this is.. My heart goes out them all..

[Jean_Genie]

I think he's being polite here. Stockton Rush, not to speak ill of someone in a terrible position, sounds like his greed and ambition took precedence over appropriate and mandatory safety precautions. Having no back-up vessel on board the mothership? Seemingly no pinger/beacon? Using new carbon-fibre technology which weakens over time from constant pressure changes? All this seems to be slapdash. I'm sure his intentions were good in terms of wanting more people to see and explore the bottom of the ocean, but dicing with peoples lives seems very irresponsible to me.

[JessforR]

Honestly, this sort of feels like a PR talking head for the company, trying to make things sound better than they are. "The team was super professional, the technology was top-notch." We know that those are lies at this point.

[lovestheirish]

Glad to see they disclosed that Newman is an investor of this company. Shows why he has the takes that he talks about. I just pray that the company does not continue to try to give rides after this. It’s such a hazard. There’s regulations and rules for a reason. My heart breaks for the people inside

[Deedee_]

I notice that when they speak about the expertise of the “crew” they don’t mention the business man who took his 19 year old son down there with him. What was that guy thinking?

[shaynewyork]

While i was listening, I took his past tense as the way he was describing his previous interaction with them, not what some others are taking it as. He also talks about how hopeful he is to rescue them ❤ Praying everyone is found safe and comfort to their loved ones 🙏🏾

[Pattys]

what really is the sad part about this is, every single trip, something went wrong and even if they live on the edge, they dont wanna die

[lukeh]

I'm amazed anyone could be convinced to go to the bottom of the ocean in that tin can let alone pay 250k.

[shereeworld]

He said he “was” an amazing guy. 😢I am holding on to hope! Praying they will be rescued. 🙏🏾

[JayDeeChannel]

It’s everyone’s worst nightmare. Like being buried alive in a coffin.

[rizzomatt]

These people aren’t explorers. They are just a bunch of rich people. It costs $250K to go on this trip,

[nancyjones]

A 19 year old kid is not capable of assessing a calculated risk like this. I feel bad for that kid more than anyone. I actually feel like implosion is less cruel than any other scenario.

[lukeh]

If safety was a priority, why wasn't the surface vessel equipped with sonar to track it and robotic rescue equipment?

[_Yep_Yep_]

Your wish is granted. This story is going to end like the Hollywood movie "Titanic." Excellent choice of words underscoring both thoughtfulness and a profound sense of self awareness.

[dangerweasel]

The sub story is NUTS. the fact that in 2018 the main engineer said — this isnt safe, was fired for saying that, and tried to warn people and was sued for violating NDA….
The fact that the CEO bought one of the parts from Camper World
The fact that the CEO asked for the people on land to turn off access to internet this trip down because things were going wrong and he didnt want anyone aboard to Tweet about it the problems! The fact that you would get on an uncertified ocean craft to go deeper than a military sub can go. Greed and ego. It’s like Theranos all over again. If you double the length of the grand canyon and then add some height to that— that’s as deep as they likely are. And even if they find the sub, rescuers are going to have to haul it back up somehow. The missing submersible is a small vessel designed to only hold five people for a day — two hours down, several hours exploring the Titanic and two hours back to the surface. You have to sit cross-legged. James Cameron did it BUT he actually built his own device with a team of scientists and went to the Titanic before. It was A LOT more sophisticated and well-made than this piece of junk that’s lost. He also went down to the deepest point on Earth in the Mariana Trench in his sub device (again: very well made and sturdy). Did you see the 60 minutes report years ago?
Who sees that and says IM IN!

[dporter]

He’s talking about these people in past tense. Ouch

[kristinstrickland]

This guy is just all sunshine and rainbows.

[Masshuzai]

Keeps referring to these folks in the past tense, kind of telling.

[Maxdouble]

Man that must’ve been horrific to know that they can’t get back up. I really hope they get found.

[lest]

When are people going to understand not to go where you don't belong? Smh.