Like so many individuals in June 2023, I used to be glued to protection of the OceanGate Titan submersible after catastrophe struck the five-man crew en path to the Titanic wreckage. Two years after their tragic deaths, Titan: The Oceangate Submersible Catastrophe hit the 2025 Netflix schedule, and I used to be actually concerned with studying extra about what occurred. Then I found a second documentary on the implosion, and it affected me much more, particularly due to one actually chilling second.
The story of the Titan catastrophe performed out like a real-life nightmare in 2023: On June 18, the doomed submersible descended into the Atlantic Ocean carrying OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, Titanic professional Paul-Henri Nargeolet, businessmen Hamish Harding and Shahzada Dawood, and Dawood’s 19-year-old son Suleman. Till these documentaries hit the 2025 film calendar, I didn’t understand how a lot it led to the last word implosion that killed all 5, and the choice obtainable with a Max subscription has been particularly arduous to shake.
Two Documentaries On The 2023 Titan Submersible Implosion Are Streaming Now
Implosion: The Titanic Sub Catastrophe was the primary of the 2 launched, airing Might 28 on the Discovery Channel and streaming on Discovery+ and HBO Max. Netflix (which boasted a number of nice documentaries in 2024) then launched its personal Titan implosion documentary a number of weeks in a while June 11 — Titan: The Oceangate Submersible Catastrophe. Watching Netflix’s Titan doc was unnerving, to make certain, but it surely was footage from Discovery’s Implosion that actually shook me.
Precise Audio Of The Suspected Implosion Chilled Me To My Core
Each documentaries characteristic previous interviews with Stockton Rush, in addition to some who labored for him and people working the U.S. Coast Guard’s investigation. Implosion: The Titanic Sub Catastrophe, nevertheless, places extra deal with the Titan’s closing voyage and implosion. In truth, it even performs a clip in which you’ll be able to hear what’s suspected to be the implosion.
Not solely will we hear the bang that occurred simply over 90 minutes after the Titan started its dive — as if that weren’t unsettling sufficient — we additionally see Stockton Rush’s spouse’s response to the noise. Wendy Rush served because the director of communications for OceanGate, so she was working comms for her husband’s dive — the corporate’s 88th.
In footage proven to investigators over a laptop computer on the Implosion documentary, she’s talking to a colleague once they hear a noise that investigators described as sounding like a door slamming. Wendy appears to be like up and says:
What was that bang?
There’s a nervous smile on her face, after which she apparently obtained what could be the Titan’s closing message, reporting they’d “dropped two weights,” with investigators doing that math for the way lengthy it takes sound to journey by way of water. To that time, Wendy Rush had obtained a ping from her husband’s sub each 5 to 10 seconds, however nothing else would come from the Titan.
One mark of a very good documentary, for my part, is how a lot precise footage there’s of the topic in query, in addition to credible sources who have been instantly concerned. Each Implosion: The Titanic Sub Catastrophe and Titan: The OceanGate Submersible Catastrophe (streaming with a Netflix subscription) have each of these in spades, however to listen to the alleged second that the craft’s carbon-fiber hull imploded was one thing I used to be not anticipating, and actually, it’s not one thing I’ve been in a position to get out of my head.
The Coast Guard investigators appeared shocked, too. After they watched the footage a few occasions, Jason Neubauer wiped his eyes as he stated:
That’s, I imply you work, the deadly second, you already know, for all of them. It’s very sobering.
That portion of the documentary might have been probably the most tense for me, however I used to be actually shocked by Implosion general.
There Was Some Overlap Between The Two, However I Thought Implosion: The Titanic Sub Catastrophe Was Extra Impactful
Each the Implosion documentary on Max and Netflix’s Titan: The OceanGate Submersible Catastrophe used footage of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush; they each included testimony from the continued Coast Guard investigation, in addition to interviews with a number of former OceanGate staff to make their level.
In each instances, their level gave the impression to be that this was a preventable catastrophe, not an accident. Stockton Rush ignored warnings from a number of folks; he took steps to make sure he was not hindered by security rules; he fired individuals who tried to blow the whistle; and he very doubtless knew such a tragedy was all however inevitable. Nonetheless, he pressed on, accepted lots of of 1000’s of {dollars} from every passenger and put civilians (together with a young person) in his sub.
Whereas The OceanGate Submersible Catastrophe on Netflix targeted loads on the corporate’s chain of command, exhibiting how staff got here to work for Stockton Rush and the way and why they ultimately left, The Titanic Sub Catastrophe featured the experiences of many who had been part of earlier dives.
That included Discovery Channel host Josh Gates, who had deliberate to characteristic the submersible on Expedition Unknown. Nonetheless, when every thing went fallacious on their dive, Gates stated he felt it might be irresponsible to advertise what Stockton Rush was doing, and the episode was scrapped.
It additionally had the harrowing recollection of a security diver, who grew to become emotional as he recalled serving to 19-year-old Suleman Dawood into the sub. And as for precise footage from June 18, 2023, we watch — for 15 uninterrupted seconds — an aerial shot of the Titan descending for the final time.
Watching Each Documentaries Provides A Fuller Image Of The Titan Catastrophe
Though I preferred the documentary that may be streamed on HBO Max higher, I nonetheless advocate watching the Netflix one as nicely. It’s fascinating to see how every filmmaking crew approached the occasion, particularly as a result of — as beforehand talked about — they used a number of the identical footage and talked to a number of the identical folks.
In truth, watching each back-to-back made for a extra well-rounded expertise, as a result of in addition they every embrace many points not coated within the different. My advice is to observe each (beginning with Netflix’s Titan: The OceanGate Submersible Catastrophe) in case you are concerned with studying extra about what went fallacious on — and main as much as — that fateful day two years in the past. However for those who solely have time or curiosity for one, make it Implosion: The Titanic Sub Catastrophe on Discovery+ and Max.