Scientist describes being trapped in submarine while diving Titanic in 2000

VESSEL WITH FIVE PEOPLE ON

BOARD.

BUT OVERNIGHT, IT POSITIVE SIGN

THAT THE CREW MAY STILL BE

ALIVE.

JOINING US NOW IS SCIENTIST,

JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR.

MICHAEL, THANK YOU FOR TAKING

THE TIME TO JOIN US.

WE WANT TO GET RIGHT TO YOUR OWN

EXPERIENCE.

SHARE YOUR STORY WITH US.

YOU TOOK A TOUR DOWN TO THE

TITANIC IN 2000 AND SOMETHING

SIMILAR HAPPEN.

TELL US ABOUT THAT.

>> I HAVE BEEN INVITED TO BECOME

ONE OF THE FIRST CORRESPONDENCE

TO REPORT ON THE TITANIC IN

SEPTEMBER 2000.

EVEN THOUGH I HAVE A FEAR OF

WATER, I ACCEPTED IT AS PART OF

MY JOB.

WE LEFT NOVA SCOTIA, HALIFAX,

WHERE A LOT OF THE PEOPLE ARE

BURIED, AS YOU NOW.

WE WENT ABOVE THE TITANIC,

POSITIONED OURSELVES AND DOVE

DOWN.

IT TOOK ABOUT 2.5 HOURS TO GET

DOWN.

EVERYTHING WAS GOING FINE.

WE TOURED THE BOW, THEN WE WENT

ACROSS AND APPROACHED THE STERN

AREA.

YOU'LL RECALL THAT WHEN THE

TITANIC SANK IT BROKE INTO TWO

PIECES.

THE BOW WENT STRAIGHT DOWN, THE

STERN DID A SOMERSAULT AND

LANDED ON ITS BACK.

SO MY EYES WERE ON THE

PROPELLER.

I THOUGHT, IT'S SO SHINY, IT

JUST STANDS OUT DOWN THERE,

EVERYTHING.

THEN I NOTICED THE SUBMERSIBLE

WAS GOING FASTER AND FASTER.

I THOUGHT, WHY ARE WE GOING

FASTER, WE SHOULD BE SLOWING

DOWN APPROACHING THIS GIANT

PROPELLER.

I LATER FOUND OUT THAT WE HAD

THE BAD LUCK OF BEING CAUGHT UP

IN A VERY STRONG UNDERWATER

CURRENT.

THEY DO EXIST DOWN THERE.

IT SMACKED US RIGHT INTO THE

BLADES OF THE PROPELLER.

I KNEW IMMEDIATELY FROM THE

COLLISION AND ALSO FROM THE BIG

PIECES OF RUSTED METAL COMING

DOWN ON US FROM THE TITANIC THAT

WE WERE IN A LIFE OR DEATH

SITUATION.

IT WAS COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED.

>> Heather: I AM SPEECHLESS

LISTENING TO YOU DESCRIBED THIS.

WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND, AND

HOW LONG WERE YOU STOCK?

HOW DID THEY GET YOU OUT OF

THERE?

>> I DIDN'T PANIC.

I WORRIED THAT OTHERS MIGHT

PANIC.

I HAD BEEN TOLD WHEN WE WERE

BEING PREPARED FOR THE DIVE THAT

IN THE PAST, PEOPLE WHO PANICKED

WOULD GO RIGHT TO THE HATCH,

THINKING THEY COULD ESCAPE AND,

OF COURSE,, OUT TO THEIR DEMISE.

SO I WAS VERY CONSCIOUS THAT I

WAS GOING TO TACKLE ANYBODY WHO

EVEN DARED TO LOOK AT THE HATCH.

THEN MY SCIENTIFIC BRAIN KICKED

IN.

I AM A PROFESSIONAL PROBLEM

SOLVER AND I THOUGHT, THIS IS A

SERIOUS PROBLEM.

THERE HAS TO BE IN SOLUTION.

AS I THOUGHT OF THE

POSSIBILITIES, I THOUGHT OF HOW

MUCH OXYGEN WE HAD LEFT AND SO

FORTH, I REALIZED QUICKLY THAT

THERE WAS NOTHING WE COULD DO.

OUR ONLY HOPE WAS OUR PILOT, WHO

WAS IT FORMER PILOT WHO WAS USED

TO HAVE SIX -- USED TO

SITUATIONS WITH A COOL HEAD

UNDER PRESSURE.

HE WAS IN CONSTANT

COMMUNICATION, UNLIKE THIS

MISSING SHIP.

OUR PILOT HAD CONSTANT

COMMUNICATION WITH THE

MOTHERSHIP, THE RESEARCH SHIP

ABOVE US.

AND IN THE END, IT WAS THE

BETTER PART OF AN HOUR, WHICH

SEEMED LIKE AN ETERNITY WHEN I

NOTICED SOMETHING HAPPENED.

THE VEHICLE QUIETED DOWN.

UP UNTIL THEN THE PILOT WAS

TRYING TO PULL IT OUT OF RANGE.

WHEN IT WENT SILENT I THOUGHT,

EVEN IF IT'S GOOD NEWS OR BAD

NEWS, IT WOULD BE BAD IT -- BAD

NEWS IF THE ENGINE DIED AND WE

WERE LITERALLY DEAD IN THE

WATER.

WE HADN'T SPOKEN TO THE PILOT,

WE WANTED TO LEAVE HIM ALONE, HE

WAS FOCUSED ON TRYING TO RESCUE

US.

BUT FINALLY I COULDN'T RESIST.

I ASKED THEIR ONE-WORD QUESTION

QUESTION.

I LOOKED AT HIM AND I SAID "OKAY

?"” HE TURNED TO ME, AND IN

THIS VERY THICK RUSSIAN ACCENT

SAID "NO PROBLEM."

THAT WAS AN UNDERSTATEMENT.

YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT WE

HAD WON THE LOTTERY 1 MILLION

TIMES OVER.

I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED SUCH A

SENSE OF JOY AND RELIEF.

I'D ALREADY RESIGNED MYSELF TO

DYING, NEVER SEEING MY WIFE

AGAIN, THINKING THAT MY SPIRIT

WOULD JOIN THE SPIRITS OF THE

PEOPLE WHO DIED DOWN THERE AND

JUST BECOME ONE OF THEM.

SO IT WAS AN ENORMOUS RELIEF.

THAT'S WHAT I'M HOPING WILL

HAPPEN WITH THESE FIVE SOULS

THAT ARE IN THIS TIGHTEN

SUBMERSIBLE.

BUT IT'S NOT LOOKING GOOD, I

HAVE TO SAY.

>> Heather: YOU WERE DOWN

THERE FOR ABOUT ONE HOUR, AND

THEN RESURFACED RIGHT AWAY.

>> RIGHT.

IT TAKES 2.5 HOURS TO GO DOWN,

THEN WE TOURED FOR ABOUT THREE

HOURS, AND THEN WE WERE STUCK

FOR THE BETTER PART OF AN HOUR

AND IT TOOK YET ANOTHER 2.5

HOURS TO GET UP THERE.

THEN THE STUDENT -- SCUBA DIVERS

HAVE TO COME HOOK YOU UP WITH

THE CRANE, HALL YOU UP.

IT WAS AN NAILBITER FOR MORE

THAN EIGHT HOURS.

8-9 HOUR DRAMA ALL TOLD.

THESE POOR PEOPLE HAVE BEEN

THERE FOR DAYS.

IT'S TAKING ME BACK, AND IT'S

NOT PLEASANT.

BUT I'M DOING THESE INTERVIEWS

TO INDICATE TO PEOPLE JUST HOW

SERIOUS THIS IS.

I DON'T SEE IT AS A TOURIST

ATTRACTION, FIRST OF ALL BECAUSE

IT'S DANGEROUS.

THE NORTH ATLANTIC IS COLD,

PRESSURE IS ENORMOUS.

BUT IT'S ALSO SERIOUS BECAUSE

IT'S A GRAVEYARD.

IT'S NOT JUST THE RACK OF A

SHIP.

PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES DOWN

THERE.

THAT REALLY CAME HOME TO ME WHEN

WE WENT DOWN THERE.

WHEN WE APPROACH THE BOW, WE

TOLD THE PILOT TO STOP AND HAD A

MOMENT OF PRAYER FOR THE MOMENT

-- THE PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR

LIVES.

AND IT'S ALL COMING BACK TO ME.

I REALLY FEEL KINSHIP WITH THESE

POOR PEOPLE, FORCING ME TO JUST

RELIVE THAT TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE.

>> Heather: I CAN'T IMAGINE

WHAT IS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND

AS THESE DAYS GO ON, AND WE

CONTINUE TO COVER THIS STORY.

WE CERTAINLY APPRECIATE YOU

SHARING YOUR STORY.

I DO WANT TO JUST ASK YOU, IF

YOU EVER REALLY FOUND OUT WHAT

EXACTLY WENT WRONG DURING YOUR

MISSION.

>> THE SHIP OPERATED

BEAUTIFULLY.

THE SHIP THAT I WAS ON, THIS IS

THE BIG DIFFERENCE, THAT'S IN

GOOD QUESTION.

THE SHIP THAT I WAS ON, THE

SUBMERSIBLE WAS IN MACHINE

BILLED FOR A SERIOUS PURPOSE.

IT WAS BUILT ORIGINALLY FOR

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND HAD BEEN

TESTED OVER TIME.

SO EVEN THOUGH WE HAD THIS

COLLISION, WE DIDN'T BREACH THE

HOLLOW.

WE COULD HAVE, AND THEN IT WOULD

HAVE BEEN GAME OVER RIGHT AWAY.

BUT IMAGINE THAT.

WE HAD THE COMMUNICATION,

BECAUSE THE MOTHERSHIP COULDN'T

DO ANYTHING FOR US.

IN THE END IT WAS REALLY THE

SKILL OF THE PILOT.

I'M REALLY GRATEFUL TO VICTOR,

OUR PILOT FOR GETTING US OUT

OTHERWISE I WOULDN'T BE HERE

TALKING TO YOU.

I WOULD STILL BE DOWN THERE

2.5 MILES UNDER THE WATER.

THIS SHIP THAT'S MISSING WAS

BILLED FOR TOURISM.

I KNOW NASA WAS INVOLVED IN ITS

DESIGN, BUT NASA HAS ISSUED A

PRESS RELEASE MAKING IT CLEAR

THEY WERE NOT INVOLVED IN ANY

TESTING.

SO WHAT WE DON'T KNOW IS HOW

SCIENTIFIC THIS WAS.

I'M CONCERNED THAT THIS COMPANY,

OCEANGATE, I'M NOT MAKING ANY

ACCUSATIONS AND THIS IS NOT THE

TIME AND PLACE TO DO IT, BUT

SINCE YOU ASKED THE QUESTION,

THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH OUR

SHIP.

WE WERE JUST -- I WAS JUST

FORTUNATE.

I COULD JUST AS EASILY HAVE LOST

MY LIFE DOWN THERE.

THAT'S WHY I'M HOPING FOR IN

MIRACLE.

BUT THEY'RE SITUATION IS

DIFFERENT.

THEY'VE LOST COMMUNICATIONS.

APART FROM THESE NOISES.

AND WE DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THESE

NOISES ARE BEING GENERATED BY

THE OCCUPANTS, OR IT'S IT

TRANSPONDER, OR WHETHER IT'S

JUST SOMETHING, PIECE OF LOOSE

METAL OR SOMETHING DOWN THERE.

WE DON'T KNOW.

BUT EVEN IF WE LOCATE IT, HOW DO

WE GET IT UP?

THE FRENCH ARE STUDYING IN ONE

OF THEIR DEEP SUBMERSIBLES, BUT

EVEN IF THEY CAN LOCATED, GRAB

IT AND IF THIS FRENCH VEHICLE

COULD GRAB THIS VEHICLE AND

BRING IT TO THE SURFACE AND THEN

HAVE TO UNBOLTED IN TIME -- AND

WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME --

THEY MAY HAVE ALREADY LOST ALL

THEIR OXYGEN.

THESE PEOPLE ARE

HYPERVENTILATING NO DOUBT,

THEY'RE BREATHING HARD, UNDER

STRESS.

USE LIGHT -- USING OXYGEN FASTER

THAN NORMAL.

BUT AT THE MOST, IT'S TOMORROW

MORNING.

HOW DO YOU DO THAT?

HOW DO YOU TRIANGULATE TAKES 2.5

HOURS TO GO DOWN, GRAB HOLD OF

IT, INVESTIGATE, BRING IT RIGHT

BACK UP, ANOTHER 2.5 HOURS AND

UNBOLT THEM.

I'M AN OPTIMIST BY NATURE, SO

I'M NOT GIVING UP HOPE AND I'M

STILL VISUALIZING THESE PEOPLE

BEING BROUGHT OUT, AND WE CAN

ALL CELEBRATE.

THAT COULD HAPPEN.

BUT RIGHT NOW, I'M JUST BEING

HONEST, IT'S NOT LOOKING GOOD.

>> Heather: MICHAEL, THIS HAS

OBVIOUSLY BEEN INCREDIBLY HARD

FOR YOU TO WATCH THIS NEWS AND

TO SHARE YOUR OWN STORIES.

WHY DO YOU CONTINUE AND CHOOSE

TO SHARE YOUR STORY, AND KEEP

WATCHING?

>> HALFWAY THROUGH YESTERDAY, I

WAS TALKING TO MEDIA WHO WANTED

TO UNDERSTAND MY EXPERIENCE AND

HOW IT MIGHT RELATE TO THE

CURRENT SITUATION.

AND OBVIOUSLY IT RELATES

DIRECTLY TO IT.

I CAN GIVE PEOPLE AT LEAST AN

IDEA OF THE DANGERS AND HAZARDS

INVOLVED.

THAT'S WHY I DO IT.

HALFWAY THROUGH THIS MORNING, I

WAS TELLING MY WIFE, I DON'T

KNOW IF I CAN KEEP GOING.

IT'S EXHAUSTING ME PHYSICALLY

AND EMOTIONALLY BUT I FEEL AN

OBLIGATION FOR THOSE FIVE SOULS

TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THERE IS

STILL HOPE.

UNTIL WE KNOW FOR SURE WE'VE RUN

OUT OF OXYGEN, AND I WANT TO BE

IN MESSENGER OF HOPE.

I ALSO WANT TO BE THE VOICE THAT

SAYS, I HAVE BEEN THREW THAT.

I KNOW WHAT THEY ARE

EXPERIENCING.

ANYONE WHO'S CONTEMPLATING GOING

DOWN TO THE TITANIC, DON'T THINK

OF IT IS SOME RECREATIONAL

DESTINATION.

THIS IS NOT DISNEYLAND.

HAVE RESPECT FOR MOTHER NATURE,

FOR THE OCEAN.

IT'S MERCILESS.

IT'S UNFORGIVING.

AND SECOND, TREAT THIS SITE AS

IT SHOULD BE.

IT'S SACRED GROUND.

IT'S A CEMETERY WHERE PEOPLE

LOST THEIR LIVES.

THAT'S MY CENTRAL MESSAGE AND

THAT'S WHAT KEEPS ME GOING.

>> Heather: MICHAEL, THANK YOU

SO MUCH FOR THE TIME TO SHARE

THIS MESSAGE WITH US AND O