Why rescuing a deep sea sub in the depths of the ocean is nearly impossible | 60 Minutes Australia

As rescuers in a remote area of the Atlantic Ocean are racing against time to find the missing submersible carrying five people on a mission to document the wreckage of the Titanic, we look back to the endeavour launched by filmmaker James Cameron to explore the depths of the ocean.

In this 2012 60 Minutes story, Cameron talked about what made him want to explore the blackest depths of our oceans, as far as man has ever ventured, piloting a tiny sub eleven kilometres below the water's surface.

For over forty years, 60 Minutes have been telling Australians the world’s greatest stories. Tales that changed history, our nation and our lives. Reporters Liz Hayes, Tom Steinfort, Tara Brown, Nick McKenzie and Amelia Adams look past the headlines because there is always a bigger picture. Sundays are for 60 Minutes.

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[GamerBadooski]

kinda crazy he filmed and re created things for the Titanic and afterwards he went down there and saw the things for himself what an experience.

[charlie]

Camerons sub looks likes a very advanced piece of engineering. The Titan looks like a massive Tupperware kit assembled in the back yard.

[AmethystEyes]

He has visited the site 33 times. I’m sure he never would have taken a ship as bad as Oceangate’s protocol.
Update: James Cameron was interviewed and confirmed as much.

[rog]

Notice how Cameron is in a submersible that’s fully equipped to travel to deep depths and doesn’t look like a tin can? This was such an avoidable tragedy. Stockton Rush knew his submersible was unsafe. The fact that a video game controller was responsible for returning the members aboard safely from 13, 000 feet is insane. RIP to all of those onboard.

[Garymasonbrooks]

The ocean is a deadly environment and respect is a must, it remains undefeated when it comes to man.

[Rocky-eqng]

Going down the oceans deep in all that darkness is already terrifying. To think this man went down all alone without the company of others is beyond description

[gemmajessie-rayhardiman]

Titanic claimed victims even before her sinking
, & it is now looking like she may have claimed more. It’s utterly horrific.

[Spacemonkeymojo]

Absolutely insane he went all the way to Challenger Deep. Imagine if he couldn’t get back up. The engineering of the Deepsea Challenger is simply amazing.

[TheGreekPianist]

I feel devastated for these five people and the panic they’re going through. I cannot imagine a more terrifying situation than to be LOST in the deep, endless ocean. It’s pitch black down there, the pressure is high, it’s freezing, and they have less than 40 hrs of emergency oxygen left. This is a true nightmare situation. I’m praying for their rescue ❤

[drewdanaceau]

I just find it wild that Cameron was able to have a phone call with his wife on the deepest dive ever recorded, and the Titan couldn’t even maintain tracking + communication at a third of the depth.

[__libra__]

James Cameron seems like such a chill dude

[Miss.]

I am beyond claustrophobic, where I won’t even go in an elevator, and this IS the worst imaginable thing. To be in the dark, at the bottom of the ocean, trapped with other people, slowly losing oxygen, and having nothing but your thoughts, knowing that your probably dying and can’t do anything about it. That is such a hopeless panic. I would probably be puking, shitting my pants, and my life would race through my head. It’s so so sad and terrifying. I wish they really thought about this before going. It seems like the submarine is like a makeshift tattoo gun in prison, doable, it works, and kinda made with what you got, but not a real proper one. My heart goes out to them and their families. 💗

[phil]

Look at the sub Cameron is in. It is massively overbuilt to survive the massive stresses of 12500 feet of water sitting on top of it. That is no accident. That is through using all available submarine and submersible technology available and incorporating all of that knowledge into a brutally heavy duty but wonderfully strong craft. The Oceans Gate carbon fiber trash can was none of that.

[hjk]

Cameron's sub was built by the best and they took every precaution possible. He had the best team of engineers and experts and would meticulously go over the tiniest details such as washers made from one material vs another. Almost a borderline fanatic when it came to safety and protocols which is what you want when it comes to exploration. NatGeo was a partner with him and dedicated an entire issue to his dive, so if you can find it, it's pretty amazing since it shows you the schematics of the sub.
Stockton Rush? Bough his lights from Camper World and ran his "sub" with a wireless Logitech controller. 🙄

[rleung]

9:00 "you're in a place that's so remote nobody could come and help you" This is all we need to hear. That Titanic sub is done. There are only a few sub can reach the 13000 ft (4000m), but none of them are rescue sub. I am sure we will find that sub. Recovering it would be a challenging issue against time.

[aquarius]

I understand the fascination of the titanic!! However it is the tomb of so many lives lost! They should let them rest in peace 😢

[MarkusBoettner]

If there is one person I'd trust to do such a thing, his name is James Cameron. He is a legend!

[aquious]

The previous safety engineer for the subs company was fired after pointing out that this expiramental sub wasn't rated for repeated deep dives even close to titanics depth. Likely a catastrophic decompression.

[danielkenney]

60 Minutes Australia has the best coverage not only on this story, but ALWAYS!!

[gtotrips]

This is total CLICKBAIT ! This has ZERO to do with the current missing private adventure submarine.