A local travel agent who has connections to the ill-fated Titan submersible is reflecting on what happened and the future of that kind of exploration.
Craig Curran heads up the DePrez Group of Travel Companies in Brighton, and he specializes in what’s referred to as extreme travel, including outer space and the deep sea.
He has also been involved with OceanGate, the company that operated the Titan, the submersible craft that earlier this week near the wreck of the Titanic, killing all 5 people aboard.
And in May, Curran had been on board the Polar Prince, the ship that launched the Titan a week ago.
He is grieving, but he is also committed to the concept of privately funded exploration to both inner and outer space.
“The goal is to democratize the deep oceans, to make it affordable for people to go to the deep ocean, to make it easier to access the deep ocean (and) to make research easier to accomplish,” Curran said, ”to get untold benefits for humanity from the deep ocean. We know less about that than we do about the moon.”
Curran says that those who paid a lot of money to be on that trip to explore the Titanic were not there just for an expensive amusement ride.
“This isn’t a rich man’s Disney ride,” Curran said, adding that, “I know these people. I've talked to them. I spent time with them. That's not what they're all about. Yes, they can afford it. Yes, they're affluent. But I consider them more to be angel investors and the startup of an industry. Without them, this industry doesn't move forward.”
Authorities from the U.S. and Canada have begun the process of investigating the cause of the fatal Titan submersible implosion. The Associated Press noted that, “Questions have been raised about whether the vessel was destined for disaster because of its unconventional design and its creator’s refusal to submit to independent checks that are standard in the industry.”
Curran does agree it’s important to review the design of the submersible.
“Is the design something that’s valid, and that may need to be improved upon, that can change the way we access the deep oceans? Or is the design something in the materials chosen, something that can never be used again, which again, we’ve learned from that,” Curran said.
But Curran did emphasize that he is still behind the efforts of those who are willing to push the limits to further exploration efforts.
This story includes reporting by the Associated Press.
