Had he survived, the British billionaire Hamish Harding who found a welcoming home in the UAE would have celebrated his 59th birthday tomorrow (Saturday). But he has probably found his final resting place already, somewhere in the depths of the ocean, according to media reports.
A true adventurer in life and death, Harding was a man with an unwavering passion for exploration and a thirst to fathom two awe-inspiring frontiers — whether it involved delving into the depths of the ocean’s abyss or experiencing weightlessness on the brink of space.
The tragic news on the aboard the OceanGate Expeditions’ Titanic sub — including Harding — took me back to an interview with the billionaire adventurer last summer at an office in Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT). It feels just like yesterday, and now referring to him in the past tense makes me pause.
Right during that interview, Harding spoke about how excited he was about the Titanic dive.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to get an opportunity to dive to the Titanic which sank in 1912, when it hit the iceberg and split in to two as it sank. I’ll be lucky enough to go down the submarine and explore the Titanic and see what’s left off it now over 100 years later,” he told me.
I am no explorer, but just by listening to him, I felt a renewed sense of wonder and curiosity. His expeditions had obviously left an indelible mark on him, transforming him into a storyteller eager to share the wonders he had witnessed and excited to explore more.
While many would say ‘if’ only he had adequately vetted the dangers of this expedition, then probably his life wouldn’t have ended prematurely. But a lot rests in the word ‘if’ — which is merely a hypothetical scenario that barely explores alternative outcomes.
His remarkable record-setting achievements merely skim the surface of a life brimming with peril and exhilaration.
For someone like Harding, the concept of ‘beyond’ held a particular fascination, the quest for which captivated him all along. It represented a personal challenge to exceed the achievements of his predecessors, leave a lasting legacy, and perhaps make an impact that would resonate beyond his own pedigree.
As we commenced the conversation that morning, I could see him beaming excitedly with vivid descriptions, each story infused with a deep appreciation for the beauty and intricacies of our planet and the universe.
In retrospect, although it seems ironical that he considered himself “lucky” as he aspired to delve into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean to bring the legendary shipwreck closer to the world’s collective consciousness — in my opinion, knowing his spirit, I don’t think he would have ever felt otherwise.
A recent post by Norwegian explorer Jannicke Mikkelsen resonates this thought. He wrote, “Titanic was one of the big high points that he wanted to achieve in his life.”
I have little doubt as Harding and his fellow explorers descended into the abyss with the darkness enveloping them and the pressure of the deep sea beginning to increase, they must have been filled with a mix of excitement and awe, aware that they were about to witness a piece of history firsthand.
But the ocean-like space is home to countless mysteries and dangers that continue to challenge explorers like him.
Describing a backstory when he had recalled in his interview to KT, “When you go to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, it’s 1,200 atmospheres pressure outside the submarine and we left some polystyrene cups outside the submarine that got compressed to about a quarter of their size and I decided to take some of those to space as well. So, they beat the bottom and the top.”
In his several interviews, I could sense his insatiable curiosity and yearning to witness the enigmatic frontiers that lie within the ocean’s depths and the expanse of outer space grew stronger with each expedition.
Recalling he had said: “The first 100,000 feet of atmosphere above the Earth looks blue. When you look at it, especially on the horizon, as you look from space it seems the planet is very fragile. It seems like a small atmosphere when you’re looking down from above.”
But a case in point remains that in contrast to our extensive understanding and exploration of space, our understanding of the ocean is astonishingly limited. Despite the fact that the ocean encompasses approximately 71 percent of Earth’s surface, it’s said a staggering 95 percent of it remains unexplored.
It then begs the question, why does space appear to be a more prominent target for exploration compared to the ocean? While launching a spaceship or probe into space is undeniably challenging, it is also no simple feat to descend into the depths of the ocean. At such depths, the pressure apparently is equivalent to that of 50 jumbo jets resting on an individual. In space, there is the advantage of clear visibility, but the ocean is characterized by darkness and an eerie murkiness.
This latest voyage to the Titanic may have become another iconic maritime tragedy — but Harding’s heritage, like his indomitable spirit, endures forever, and shall continue motivating people around.
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