The search for Titan, the missing OceanGate submarine, is in critical condition this Thursday, as it is known that the crew members on board are in grave danger because the reserve oxygen is about to run out.
This is not the first expedition to see the remains of the Titanic, so several people who have traveled before have taken a position on the matter. Such has been the case of Arthur Loibl or Alan Estrada.
However, although so far she has not given opinions on the matter, Renata Rojas -the first Mexican who went to see the transatlantic in the same submersible that is currently lost- had already warned about some of the dangers faced by those who decided to undertake this experience.
“The weather, you know you can’t put the submersible in the water if the weather is not cooperating because there are a lot of currents and you are falling. The currents can take you to any area, so you need to land near the Titanic,” he said during an interview in 2022.
Who is Renata Rojas
Renata Rojas is a sea and aquatic lover born in Mexico City and residing in New York. Although she started taking diving lessons when she was 12 years old, the book A Night to Remember -which is about the Titanic- was the one that awakened her curiosity about the famous ocean liner.
Since then, she began reading books, magazines, and texts about the story on April 14, 1912.
Although for more than a decade, Rojas had been looking for the opportunity to travel to the depths of the sea to see the ruins, and an opportunity seemed close in 2012, the expeditions did not materialize.
So years later, he met the company OceanGate, which was looking to innovate in this area. Rojas had to wait several years while Titan was being built, the submersible that is currently missing and the one that would take tourists to realize their dream of seeing the Titanic.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly, and the date of her trip would be in 2019, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this expedition had to be postponed, and it was until 2022 that she could effectively go down to the sea to see the wreckage.
On the trip where Renata was, there was also Alan Estrada -the content creator of Mexican origin who documented on video his entire journey-.
Rojas has dived into multiple caves worldwide and has also been to coral reefs and other historic shipwrecks. He has been a member of the Explorer’s Club and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, where he has also participated in snorkeling and submersible expeditions.
By visiting the Titanic in the submarine Titan, she became the first Mexican woman in Latin America to visit the ocean liner wreck.
“An honor to represent Mexico in something so historical. I was the first woman; there was a man. To be able to be there in something so important is an honor,” said Renata for a talk on the Youtube channel known Exploring by the Seat of your pants.
Although the woman has stressed that such an expedition has ample risks, she has also made it clear that it was a dream come true for her to be able to go down in the submersible hosted by OceanGate.
Titan’s situation today, June 22nd
In the early hours of Thursday, the search for the missing submersible is at a critical stage.
The U.S. Coast Guard remains “optimistic,” but the situation is becoming increasingly complicated for the submarine crew members.