YouTuber Alan Estrada shared his experience aboard the Titan submersible, where Estrada was a passenger last year, telling BBC Mundo in an interview Tuesday that he never felt unsafe during his ride on the submarine - though he acknowledging he was aware of the possibility of an implosion.
The Coast Guard on Thursday said the passengers on the submersible, including OceanGate founder Stockton Rush, were killed in a catastrophic implosion.
"All the people who made that expedition were fully aware of the risks we were taking," Estrada said. "But I never felt unsafe. I was fully aware of the risks, and I knew that if something happened, if there was a failure in those depths and the submersible imploded, we probably wouldn't even notice."
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Missing submersible found: All five passengers on the Titan submarine dead after catastrophic implosion
Estrada's comments echo those of other past and prospective OceanGate clientswho acknowledged weighing the extreme risks of amateur deep-sea exploration with the potential rewards of such an adventure.
The 42-year-old said he and any Titan passengers carefully read the risks that occur on board of the vessel, comparing the risk to riding a plane. Estrada added that as dangerous as his ride could've been, the journey itself was personally unremarkable.
"It sounds cliché, but life is a risk. And, in the end, for many of us who did it, it was worth it in exchange for being able to see this majestic sinking," says Estrada. "It's not very special, let's say. You're inside a capsule, which is something unthinkable for anyone who has claustrophobia, but nothing more. What is something very impressive is the fact of being in front of that shipwreck."
Estrada emphasized the importance of the expedition to him, adding the voyage contributed to the exploration of the ocean depths. He said the ride was spectacular for many reasons including that very few people have seen those depths or the shipwreck of the Titanic.
"Having in front of you an image that you have seen so many times in documentaries and movies is very impressive," he said.
Timeline of tragedy: History of Titan sub and the company behind it
Estrada said he signed up to board Titan in early 2021. He said he did research and looked for sponsors help fund his trip, which was worth $125,000 at that time. Estrada said his attempt to see the Titanic in July 2021 was unsuccessful due to technical errors that required he, Rush and three other passengers to return to the surface early in the journey. He experienced a successful voyage a year later.
The passengers who boarded the last Titan trip with Rush had to pay $250,000. The disappearance led to an urgent race to recover the submersible before the Coast Guard and OceanGate on Thursday acknowledged the grim outcome.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: YouTuber Alan Estrada says he never felt unsafe during his Titan submersible ride