Why the Ocean Around the Titanic Is Still Dangerous

Bright Side

You’ve heard the story of the Titanic—but did you know the waters around it are still a serious danger zone? From razor-sharp metal wreckage to unpredictable deep-sea currents, this part of the ocean is no joke. In this video, we’re diving into the hidden risks lurking where the Titanic sank. We’ll explore eerie natural hazards, strange marine life, and even the threats facing modern explorers. Whether you love mysteries, history, or jaw-dropping science, this one's packed with facts you’ve probably never heard before. So buckle up—it's deeper and darker than you think!  Credit: ALVIN submersible: by Jholman / NOAA, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ALVIN_submersible.jpg rusticles hires: by Lori Johnston, RMS Titanic Expedition 2003, NOAA-OE, https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/03titanic/rusticles/media/detached_rusticles.html, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Detached_rusticles_hires.jpg Captain bathroom: by Lori Johnston, RMS Titanic Expedition 2003, NOAA-OE., https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/03titanic/media/titanic_bathtub.html, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Captain_Smith%27s_bathroom.jpg Titanic wreck bow: by Courtesy of NOAA/Institute for Exploration/University of Rhode Island (NOAA/IFE/URI)., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Titanic_wreck_bow.jpg Animation is created by Bright Side.  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV  Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Our Social Media:  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightplanet/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en   Stock materials (photos, footages and other):  https://www.depositphotos.com  https://www.shutterstock.com  https://www.eastnews.ru  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:00Over 1,500 people lost their lives in this part of the ocean, so maybe it's a prudent idea to

00:11stay away from it. The spot where RMS Titanic sank remains dangerous. I mean, yeah, there are still

00:18huge icebergs out there, but there are even bigger threats lurking beneath the surface.

00:23Titanic is sitting about 12,500 feet underwater, nearly 400 miles southeast of Newfoundland.

00:31It's been down there for over 100 years, so over time, the wreck's just been falling apart

00:36little by little. The infamous ship is rusting just like any iron or steel structure would be

00:43underwater. Chemically, when you mix iron, oxygen, and water, that combo sets off a reaction that

00:50creates iron oxide. And that's what leads to corrosion. So, steel plates, beams, all that stuff

00:56is getting weaker. Parts of the liner are caving in, like the ceiling in the captain's bathroom

01:02and a section of the railing that collapsed not too long ago. But in the case of Titanic,

01:08a lot of that corrosion is actually being caused by iron-eating bacteria. When the Titanic sank,

01:14it's split into two big pieces, the bow and the stern, which landed nearly 2,000 feet apart

01:21on the ocean floor. And now, both pieces are covered in this biofilm, a living blanket of

01:27bacteria, marine fungi, and all sorts of other microbes. Over time, microbes feeding on the

01:34ship's iron have created these things called rusticles, and they are actually speeding up

01:39the wrecks' decay. Scientists say the stern is breaking down way faster than the bow, mostly

01:45because it took more damage when the ship sank. And now, thanks to all that bacterial activity,

01:51the stern could be deteriorating as much as 40 years ahead of the bow.

01:57So yeah, microbes have been thriving and flourishing down there. If you are a germaphobe, that probably

02:03sounds like a total nightmare. But honestly, it's not that bad. For one, they don't even look

02:09gross. These rusticles actually look kind of cool, like ice crystals or tiny diamonds clinging

02:15to the wreck. And don't worry, you are not in danger. As long as you keep a safe distance

02:22from the wreck, no direct contact, and definitely don't go poking around inside, there really

02:27is no risk. Speaking of getting dangerously close, we've got to mention the Titan submersible

02:34disaster. You know, the one that catastrophically imploded back in 2023 during a trip to the

02:40Titanic wreck. Sadly, all five people on board lost their lives. Even though this trip was sold as a

02:47tourist adventure, going that deep in the ocean is no joke. It's terrifying, cold, and dark.

02:54Sunlight gets absorbed by water and can't reach much farther than about 3,300 feet below the surface.

03:00Past that point, the ocean is in total darkness all the time.

03:06Titanic lies within a region known as the Midnight Zone for this very reason. The few brave people who

03:13have visited the wreck say the descent takes over two hours through complete darkness. Then, out of

03:19nowhere, the ocean floor just pops into view, lit up by the submersible's lights. The second big challenge

03:26is actually finding the wreck. At that depth, navigating is no easy task. When you reach the

03:33bottom, you really don't know exactly where you are. You're just kind of fumbling around in the dark,

03:39knowing that Titanic is somewhere down there, but you can't see it.

03:43However, detailed maps of the Titanic site made from decades of high-res scans really do help. As the wreck

03:51starts to come into view, they can use those maps to stay on track. Plus, sonar and sensors let the

03:57crew notice features and objects, even if they're way beyond the sub's tiny light pool.

04:03For example, the Titan submersible had a sensor called the Doppler velocity log.

04:08This one sent out sound waves to measure how fast the sub is moving and how deep it is,

04:14based on its distance from the ocean floor. Still, passengers on previous trips to Titanic

04:19in this submersible have said how tough it is to find their way once they reach the ocean floor.

04:27And we can't forget about the pressure. The deeper you go in the ocean, the more pressure the water

04:32puts on everything. And the pressure is crazy high at the Titanic's wreck site. To put it into perspective,

04:39it is about 200 times the pressure inside a car tire. That's why submersibles need super-thick

04:46walls to handle it. So yeah, the water around Titanic has creepy microbes, pitch-black darkness,

04:53and insane pressure. But there is one more thing happening down there, and that's unpredictable currents.

05:00You're familiar with them. I mean, when you swim in the sea, you can usually feel the currents pulling

05:05you from side to side. But the deep ocean has its own set of underwater currents, too.

05:11They're not as strong as the ones you feel on the surface, but they can still move massive amounts

05:16of water around. These currents can be caused by things like wind, differences in water temperature,

05:23and salt, and even strange storms down on the ocean floor called benthic storms. They can get intense

05:30and stir up the sea bottom. Now, like I mentioned earlier, the Titanic wreck is in two big pieces,

05:36the front and the back. And researchers have been checking out the seabed of the surrounding area.

05:42One part of the wreck is near this cold underwater current called the Western Boundary Undercurrent.

05:49It flows south and moves mud and sand along the ocean floor, creating ripples and patterns

05:54that show how strong or weak the current is. Most of the time, the currents there aren't very strong.

06:01They even found sand ripples near where all the Titanic debris landed, like furniture, coal,

06:07and just random stuff from the ship. And those ripples are showing a current flowing from east to

06:13west. But inside the main wreck site, things get a little wilder. The water flows more from northwest to

06:20southwest, probably because all the huge chunks of the ship are messing with the flow.

06:26Around the south side of Titanic's bow, the currents get unpredictable too. They keep switching directions,

06:33from northeast to northwest to even southwest. It's like the ocean's just doing its own thing down

06:39there. Experts think that, over time, all this shifting water is going to slowly bury Titanic

06:46under layers of mud and sand. Little by little, the wreck could just fade away and disappear beneath

06:53the ocean floor. Alright, now it's time to get to the obvious issue here. Icebergs. Yep,

07:00there's still a problem for ships today. In 2023, around 380 icebergs flowed into the busy shipping routes

07:08between North America and Europe. That's a problem. You see, the bigger the iceberg,

07:13the easier it is to spot and avoid. Smaller ice is a lot harder to detect, though it's no less

07:20dangerous. And that's because the most dangerous part is underwater, where no one can see it.

07:27Think about the iceberg that sank Titanic. Passengers saw about 100 feet of it above the water,

07:33but it's believed that's only 16% of its total size. Experts say the rest, hidden beneath the waves and much

07:41larger than what's visible, could stretch down several hundred feet. Now, the good news is that,

07:47unlike Titanic's day, we have much more technology now to spot icebergs in time. Modern ships have

07:54radar and satellite imagery that can pick up icy threats hiding in the dark. Some vessels even use

08:01sonar and thermal imaging to see through fog, helping the crew to spot icebergs above the surface.

08:07GPS and AIS pick safer routes. And monitoring centers around the globe send out real-time alerts,

08:15like having a personal iceberg spotting assistant. So, yes, it is a massive upgrade from just relying

08:22on binoculars. You won't have to worry about icebergs on your next cruise vacation, even if

08:28it passes alongside Titanic's route. But just to be extra safe, try not to travel with anyone named

08:35Jack or Rose. And never, never play the violin while on board. Just saying.

08:42That's it for today. So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share

08:47it with your friends. Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!

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