A last ditch attempt is being made to find the people on board the , amid suggestions that the vessel will now have .
The , on its way to the wreck of the , but its mothership – the Canadian research icebreaker MV Polar Prince – lost contact with it an hour and 45 minutes later.
, renowned French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son are , along with OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who joined them on board.
While Titan has made voyages to the Titanic before, having been in operation since 2021, those who have boarded the sub are not the only people who have made the journey.
Film director – who won an Oscar for directing the 1997 blockbuster about the doomed ship – has also spoken of his experiences when visiting the depths of the ocean, but did he visit the Titanic itself, and how many times did he go?
Did James Cameron go down to the Titanic?
Yes, James Cameron has made several trips to the wreck of the Titanic.
The filmmaker made his first trip in 1995 in order to capture footage for the 1997 box office smash, which went on to win 11 Oscars.
He has even written a book about his experiences, Exploring The Deep, which includes his dive journey, photos and maps from his own explorations of the wreck.
‘I can think of no greater fantasy than to be an explorer and see what no human eye has seen before,’ he said
How many times has James Cameron been to the Titanic?
In total Cameron has made 33 trips to see the wreckage of the Titanic – and knows all too well how risky it can be, as one of those voyages saw him trapped underwater for 16 hours.
Mexican actor and producer Yordi Rosado explained in an interview to actor Alan Estradad: ‘There are currents down there. James Cameron has been down there 33 times and a current of water trapped them against the stern of the Titanic,” he added.
‘They were there for 16 hours until the water was diverted because they couldn’t get out.’
The interview has gone viral in the wake of the Titan going missing.
Cameron himself also addressed the dangers of undertaking such a dive, saying in 2012: ‘You’re going into one of the most unforgiving places on earth. It’s not like you can call up AAA to come get you.’
However, the director, who has also ventured to the bottom of the – one of the deepest spots in the Earth’s oceans at around seven miles below the surface – has also described his adventures as ‘bearing witness to a miracle’.
Speaking to 60 Minutes Australia in 2018, he explained: ‘This is not just some, you know rich guy ego thing. This is about, you’ve got so much time on this planet, so much life, so much breath in your body.
‘You have to do something. If you should be fortunate enough to make some money and have some capital, some working capital, why not put it into your dream?’
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