A writer for The Simpsons familiar with the Titan submersible isn't too hopeful

The phrase “it takes on to know one” absolutely applies to “guys who pay to have an underwater submersible take them on a tour of the Titanic wreckage,” and as what feels like the entire world waits to learn the status of a Titan submersible missing somewhere near the ill-fated ship’s final resting place, ones who know one feel more vital than ever.

As it turns out, Mike Reiss, a former writer, showrunner, and producer for The Simpsons, falls into that select category. He has gone on multiple trips with OceanGate Expeditions, the company which owns the type of Titan submersible that went missing. Reiss recently shared with BBC his understanding of the Titan submersible that has been missing since Sunday with five passengers aboard. Safe to say, he’s “not optimistic” about the likelihood of finding the submersible, which experts expect ran out of oxygen this morning.

“If it’s down at the bottom, I don’t know how anyone is going to be able to access it, much less bring it back up,” Reiss told BBC Breakfast of the submersible during a June 19 conversation.

Reiss’ opinion carries some weight: although he’s not James Cameron or Robert Ballard, he has gone on three different dives with OceanGate, which altogether paint an illuminating picture. According to Reiss, on these expeditions, his group “almost always lost communication” with the surface.

“I got on the sub and at the back of my mind was ‘well, I may never get off this thing,’ that’s always with you,’ he says.

Don’t get Reiss wrong, though: that fear isn’t just because OceanGate specifically has bad practices. Although Reiss calls the Titan a “beautifully designed craft,” he admits there’s just so much room for error when it comes to recreationally exploring the ocean’s murkiest depths.

“This is not to say this is a shoddy ship or anything, it’s just that this is all new technology and they’re learning it as they go along,” he said. “You have to just remember the early days of the space program or the early days of aviation, where you just make a lot of mistakes on the way to figuring out what you’re doing.”