Netflix Titan Documentary Unravels OceanGate Disaster in Chilling Detail
The new Titan documentary on Netflix does more than just recount a tragic accident—it peels back the layers of the OceanGate disaster, exposing a troubling trail of overlooked warnings, risky design choices, and a relentless push for prestige over safety.
In Titan: The OceanGate Disaster, director Mark Monroe brings clarity to the chaos that gripped the world in June 2023, when the submersible Titan vanished during a Titanic-bound dive. Rather than dramatize the final hours, the film explores the decade-long journey that led to the fatal implosion—an implosion many experts say was not just possible, but inevitable.
A Dive into Hubris, Not Just the Ocean
Backed by never-before-seen footage, interviews with whistleblowers, and internal company files, the film presents OceanGate not as a daring startup, but as a cautionary tale of unchecked ambition. Stockton Rush, the company’s late founder, took pride in breaking norms. He skipped safety certifications, dismissed expert concerns, and insisted his carbon-fiber hull was safe—despite no industry precedent and mounting internal pushback.
The documentary shows how former employees like David Lochridge raised red flags. He warned that carbon fiber, while light and strong, fatigued quickly at extreme depths. Instead of heeding his concerns, OceanGate fired him and later sued him for whistleblowing.
Ignored Warnings, Avoided Rules
In one standout scene, Rush can be heard in a staff meeting dismissing engineering doubts. “We’re doing weird stuff here,” he says, brushing off safety talk like a formality. That mindset—bolstered by tech-bro confidence and media fascination—let the company evade third-party inspections and present itself as cutting-edge, despite glaring technical risks.
According to Monroe, the company’s culture punished dissent and pushed employees to stay silent. One Boeing engineer even emailed Rush as early as 2012, warning that Titan could suffer “a significant failure” before hitting 4,000 meters. The documentary highlights how these alerts were ignored or buried under Rush’s ambition.
When Rules Don’t Apply, Disaster Does
OceanGate promoted its civilian passengers as “mission specialists” to avoid regulations for commercial submarines. While Titan completed over 80 dives—13 of them to Titanic depths—the film argues these successes were a matter of chance, not safety. Loud cracking noises during descents were brushed off by Rush as the hull “seasoning,” not warning signs.
The documentary suggests that Rush genuinely believed in his vessel, but also fell victim to the pressure of his own promises. His desire to be a modern-day explorer pushed boundaries with little regard for consequence. And when people disagreed, they were pushed out.
A Tragedy Waiting to Happen
What makes the Titan documentary so compelling is its focus on the quiet failures—not the explosion, but the implosion of accountability. The U.S. Coast Guard has yet to release its official findings, but experts in the film believe the carbon fiber’s delamination was the likely cause.
The 111-minute film doesn’t need shocking audio or dramatic reenactments to make its point. It does something scarier: it reveals how long this tragedy was in the making. “The rules of science still apply,” says Monroe. “When you take lives with you, shortcuts should never be an option.”
Final Word
Titan: The OceanGate Disaster is now streaming on Netflix. It’s more than a documentary—it’s a warning that when ego overtakes engineering, the consequences can be fatal.
