Titanic diver reveals near-death experience he had during visit to shipwreck: 'It's a terrible way to go'

Dr Michael Guillen who explored the Titanic wreckage site on a Russian sub in 2000 and became the first TV correspondent to visit the remains of the ship, claims he knows how the passengers of the 21ft Titan submersible must have felt.

Describing his own nearly catastrophic experience, he broke down in tears saying that in the situation like this ‘you lose any sense of time’ and that every minute ‘stretches out for eternity’.

The search for the submersible drew to a close after a Canadian ship-operated submarine discovered big chunks of a vessel that are thought to be Titan’s debris on the ocean floor.

All passengers who were onboard are likely ‘lost', with little hope to recover the remains in ‘unforgiving’ waters.

Here are details of Dr Guillen’s experience that give a little more insight into the situation onboard.

Titanic diver’s near-death experience

Dr Guillen spoke to Holly Willoughby and Dermot O'Leary on ITV's This Morning and shared his own, almost fatal experience of exploring the Titanic shipwreck site by sub.

Now a diving veteran, Dr Guillen broke down in tears when he opened up about the terror he felt when the vessel he was onboard became stuck underwater for 30 minutes.

He said:

Every minute that you're buried alive in this tin can, it stretches out for eternity. You lose any sense of time.

Dr Guillen was on a Russian submersible called Mir 1 which was built in 1987. During his Titanic exploration trip, the vessel was suddenly caught in a strong underwater current that pushed it towards the legendary ship's 21-ton propellers.

As the crew tried to reverse out, a bang was heard and chunks of debris were seen floating through the water.

Although they eventually managed to free the vessel by 'moving it forward and backwards, forward and backward' to 'rock it out’ of our stuck position, Dr Guillen said the accident 'almost claimed' his life.

A devoted Christian, he described the incident in his 2021 book Believing is Seeing where he wrote how he 'experienced God's presence and peace' right when he was ready to 'kiss goodbye' to his life.

In an emotional iTV interview, he added:

I feel like I'm down there with them. I know what they went through.

It's pretty remote that they're gonna be given a second chance and it's a terrible way to go.

My only hope and prayer is that they experience that sense of peace that I did when I was ready to let go of my life.

Read more:

⋙ Titanic submarine: This is how long you can survive in a locked submarine

⋙ Titanic: Here's why Jack couldn't have survived with Rose, according to James Cameron

Who has likely happened onboard Titan?

The nerve-wracking search for Titan, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, was stopped after a remote-operated submarine from a Canadian ship found broken pieces consistent with a 'catastrophic implosion' on the ocean floor.

Experts believe that all five men onboard likely died ‘an instant death’ on Sunday.

Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard at a press conference yesterday:

The implosion would have generated a significant, broadband sound that the sonar buoys would have picked up.

Onboard the vessel were OceanGate's CEO Stockton Rush, UK-based businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman, British billionaire Hamish Harding, and French Navy veteran Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

Some of the passengers had paid $250,000 / £197,000 each to see the famous shipwreck.

Read more:

⋙ Titanic submarine: Channel 5 to release documentary mere hours after passengers run out of air

⋙ Titanic: The Hidden Tragic Story Often Untold

Sources used:

- Daily Mail: ''I know what they went through': Moment Titanic diver breaks down in tears over missing Titan sub as it brings back memories of his own botched underwater visit to shipwreck'