'You're dead anyway,' said OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush during Titan submersible test-dive

livemint.com:

OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush has been described as a charismatic figure driven by his own arrogance. Rush is responsible for the ill-fated deep-sea submersible that tragically collapsed during an expedition to the RMS Titanic. A former passenger on the ill-fated vessel recounted his experience, shedding light on the unsettling journey aboard the submersible.

Brian Weed, a seasoned documentary camera operator, was part of the crew working on the Discovery Channel's "Expedition Unknown" TV show when they were granted the opportunity to test-dive on OceanGate's Titan sub, led by Rush. The intention was to conduct a preliminary dive to a shipwreck site in Washington state's Puget Sound as a precursor to a subsequent dive to the legendary Titanic wreckage in the North Atlantic, where filming was scheduled for a special episode. Weed expressed his discomfort with the test dive, which raised concerns about safety.

Malfunctions in the thruster system, communication issues with the surface team, and the need for computer recalibration contributed to Weed's unease during the dive. One significant cause for concern arose when Weed, along with "Expedition Unknown" host Josh Gates, questioned Rush about emergency protocols should the sub need to resurface far from its mothership. Rush's response, suggesting that death would be inevitable if they were not found, left Weed puzzled and disturbed by what he perceived as a nihilistic perspective on life and death at sea.