James Cameron reacts

When I first heard about this incident, my immediate thought was, What does James Cameron think about all this? Working in deep water has been Cameron's hobby—well, more than a hobby—for years. Say what you will about Cameron as a person (many actors will tell you he's a terror on set), but there's no doubt he knows what he's talking about when it comes to submersibles and the like. So I was curious from the get-go to hear his thoughts as a professional, and I finally found one of his recorded reactions to the Titan's implosion.

In the video, Cameron points out that much of the rescue operation amounted to a charade. Less than halfway through the original OceanGate mission, a loud bang was heard, and that was probably the implosion. All the later stuff about hearing the sounds of hands banging against walls was likely made up—maybe as a distraction, maybe as an awkwardly humane way to provide hope. Some on the right are suggesting the Biden administration knew the true fate of the submersible long before June 22, but the administration dragged its feet on any definitive announcement to allow the public to focus more on the Titan and less on the Biden admin's own scandals. I don't know whether there's any truth to that, but in an era when conspiracy theories are dismissed and then found out to be true, I'd say anything goes.

A lot of rich-people hubris went into the ocean on June 18, and the Drowned God claimed his own. In the fight between human fantasy and actual reality, reality will always win.

ADDENDUM: Glenn Reynolds has a thoughtful Substack reaction.