A Mexican man who made the harrowing undersea descent last year on the same Titanic-bound submersible that’s gone missing said the vessel’s battery suddenly drained during his voyage, forcing it to turn back early.
Actor and YouTuber Alan Estrada secured a $125,000 once-in-a-lifetime spot on an excursion to the famed ocean liner’s wreck on OceanGate’s Titan submersible last July.
However, the trip was cut about four hours short after the vessel’s battery levels unexpectedly plunged to below 40 percent, forcing the crew to head back to the surface, the vlogger said in a video posted on his YouTube channel.
The vessel also experienced a two-hour communications blackout while they were underwater, Estrada said.
“My biggest concern was obviously losing my life,” Estrada told The Daily Mail. “All the people who made this expedition … we are aware of the risks we are taking. It’s not a surprise.”
The Titan and its five-person crew vanished on Sunday after it similarly lost communication with the surface about an hour and 45 minutes into its eight-hour, 12,500-foot voyage to the sea floor off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
The craft has not been seen since as search and rescue teams scramble to locate it before oxygen is expected to run out on Thursday morning.
Estrada told the Daily Mail that he had originally been slated to make the trip — which was paid for by sponsors — in July 2021, but it got pushed back a year for reasons that were never specified. The price tag for the trip has since doubled to $250,000.
He said he and all those on board knew what kind of potential danger the trip entailed.
“Because it is an experimental submersible, many things can happen and we were aware that not only something could happen that could put your life at risk,” Estrada continued. “But the dive probably could not be done successfully if the weather was not in your favor.”
While Estrada’s adventure was cut short, he still had the opportunity to spend time at the Titanic wreck site and take an incredible photo beside the vessel’s window showing the sunken ship’s iconic bow outside.
Those missing include OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who pilots the vessel with a video game controller, French Titanic expert Paul Henry Nargeolet, British billionaire Hamish Harding and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son.
On Tuesday, a Canadian aircraft assisting with the rescue detected “banging” sounds at 30-minute intervals coming from a vast area around the Titanic wreck, giving some experts hope that the noises may be man-made from the still-alive crew.
The US Coast Guard said Wednesday it had rerouted its remotely operated vehicles as the banging continued. An additional 7 vessels were heading towards the search area to help, USCG said.
“I wish with all my heart that they find them,” Estrada told the Daily Mail. “Today is a crucial day for this rescue. I hope they find them safe and sound.”
