James Cameron Explains the Way of Water Following Titan Implosion

Sometimes, in a moment of pure kismet, a news story arrives that has such a fitting commentator that it feels like it was designed in a lab. James Cameron, your time is now. ABC News recently got ahold of the director to comment on the implosion of Titan, the OceanGate Expeditions deep-water submersible holding a captain and four guests for a tour of the Titanic. Cameron is a man who deeply understands the legacy of the Titanic (maybe you’ve heard of his movie about it — it’s called Titanic), who builds deep-sea submersibles, and who made a whole movie about the way of water. This man knows his shit. Cameron discussed the technical elements of the story with ease, noting that many people in the submersible community were nervous about this ship, and wrote in to the company saying as much. But the most memorable part of the interview is when he leaves the technical aspects behind and simply comments on what the story means. “I’m struck by the similarity of the Titanic disaster itself,� Cameron said. “Where the captain was repeatedly warned about ice ahead of his ship, and yet he steamed at full speed into an ice field on a moonless night, and many people died as a result. For a very similar tragedy, where warnings went unheeded, to take place at the same exact site, with all the diving that’s going on all around the world, I think it’s just astonishing. It’s really quite surreal.�