Adventurer: Diving Expedition to the "Titanic" with a Mini-Submarine

Straubing - Off the Canadian-American coast, rescuers have been searching for days for a small diving boat that disappeared on its way to the wreck of the "Titanic." On board is a French researcher along with four other men. Arthur Loibl, a "Titanic" enthusiast from Straubing in Lower Bavaria, has been following the search for the missing individuals "extremely intensively," as he told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur. In 2021, he was one of the first passengers to dive to the "Titanic" with the mini-submarine provided by Oceangate Expeditions.

"I am deeply affected," said Loibl, who is a member of the "German Titanic Association since 1997." He personally knows two of the missing men, and he was in contact with one of them via email on Saturday. It is difficult to assess the reason for the disappearance of the diving boat. However, it must be terrible for the crew. They sit in a cramped space, close together, with their feet overlapping. There is no toilet, and after such a long time, water and food are likely to run out.

Loibl paid about $110,000 for his trip to the "Titanic" back then. "One has to be crazy and love adventure," said Loibl. "You can't have fear." When he dived at that time, three Americans wanted to join but changed their minds at the last moment. The descent to the legendary wreck lasted two and a half hours.

The diving boat named "Titan" has been missing since Sunday morning (local time) - about an hour and 45 minutes after the start of the dive, contact with the support vessel "Polar Prince" was lost. According to the provider, the small vessel, measuring nearly seven meters, has enough oxygen for 96 hours. However, experts are pessimistic about the chances of finding the "Titan" in time.