Self-described “treasure hunter” and popular YouTuber, Jake (a.k.a. “Dallmyd”), nearly took a trip aboard OceanGate Expedition’s doomed Titan sub just weeks before it imploded on a voyage to the Titanic.
The scuba diver was booked aboard the Titan for Mission III, but the trip was canceled due to bad weather and computer malfunctions.
“If my dive wasn’t canceled, it could’ve been me inside that submarine today,” Jake told his 13.5 million subscribers in a video he posted on Friday.
“Keep in mind, there’s a lot of smiles and a lot of laughs,” Jake, whose girlfriend Kyndall was also onboard for the adventure, warned viewers. “We honestly had no idea what would happen in the days to come.”
(Video: YouTube)
As BizPac Review reported, five people were bolted into the 22 ft. carbon fiber and titanium vessel and met their deaths when the low-tech sub crumpled under the ocean’s pressure.
Included among the dead was billionaire Pakistani businessman, Shahzada Dawood, and his 19-year-old son, Suleman, who was reportedly “terrified” to join what was meant to be a Father’s Day excursion.
19-yr-old Titan sub explorer ‘felt terrified’ about trip, but went with dad for Father’s Day, aunt says https://t.co/l6JzE4lxpG via @BIZPACReview
— BPR based (@DumpstrFireNews) June 23, 2023
Jake’s video runs more than 25 minutes and offers a behind-the-scenes look at the couple’s nine-day voyage, which started in Newfoundland.
“We were eagerly excited to start our expedition towards the Titanic,” Jake says as he and Kyndall prepared to board the ship. “We’re going to be taking a submarine to the bottom of the ocean.”
“I’m so excited,” he says after boarding. “A little bit nervous.”
Later in the chilling video, Jake shows “a lot of people working on the submarine.”
“Got some divers out there. Maybe they’re going to double-check, make sure everything’s secure,” Jake says, before exclaiming, “Only place in the world where you can go dive on the Titanic.”
As the video shows the boat pulling away from Newfoundland, Jake narrates over the top, saying, “Like I mentioned in the beginning of the video, there’s going to be a lot of laughs, a lot of smiles, a lot of jokes. Please keep in mind, we’re all just trying to have a good time, and I had no idea what the future had in store for everyone.”
The video shows OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush and crewmember “PH” (Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a Titanic expert and deep-sea explorer), both of whom would perish on Mission V, signing the Mission III commemorative flag.
During what was to be a “controlled dive” to check the sub’s systems prior to its scheduled deep dive to the wreck of the Titanic, a crewmember says that one of the two computers “that control a lot of the thrusters” was “acting up a little bit.”
“It came back online, but some of the functionality wasn’t exactly as we’d hoped,” he says. “that, coupled with some winds, a little choppy seas, we decided to scrub the dive for today.”
“Every day, they did have some problems and we tried to fix every little thing to make sure everything was perfect for our opportunity to dive on the Titanic,” Jake explains. “It seems weird now, but at the time, it just seemed like an everyday thing, in my opinion.”
Ultimately, it was the weather that refused to cooperate with Mission III, and according to Jake, “Stockton decided to call it.”
Crenshaw hammers Biden admin for response to rescue doomed sub: ‘Epic failure of leadership’ https://t.co/aTeuCqV5Dt via @BIZPACReview
— BPR based (@DumpstrFireNews) June 23, 2023
“You know, it’s crazy to think,” Jake says, “but if the weather cleared up and the conditions were perfect, and Stockton looked over at me and said, ‘there’s a spot in the submarine, do you want to go?’ — looking back, I would have done it. I would have been in that submarine, and my fate could have been just like the five who lost their lives just recently on Mission V.”
While he never made it down to the Titanic, Jake did join Stockton on a 3,000-foot “test dive.”
“You get inside the front hatch and they close the dome and they literally bolt you shut, so there’s no way of escaping,” Jake says in the video. “There’s no quick hatch to open if water comes in.”
The video goes on to show an “excited” Jake inside the Titan sub.
“Keep in mind, what you’re looking at right now is the exact same submersible that imploded and killed five people,” Jake narrates.
“I can tell you right now, I feel like I dodged a bullet, but I also feel very bad for the families who lost loved ones,” he said. “I didn’t know these people too well, but they treated me very nicely, and I lost a few friends, as well.”
“If you’re chasing big dreams and pushing your limits,” Jake says, “obviously dangerous things can happen and can be fatal.”
“Life is very precious,” the treasure hunter said, “and it can go away very quickly.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.