Yes, it s just a movie. But haven t you wondered, even for a moment, whether Jack Dawson could have been able to find a way to stay afloat on that piece of wood with Rose DeWitt Bukater in the freezing Atlantic at the end of Titanic?
The guys from Discovery Channel s Mythbusters say it could have happened if only Rose would have given up her lifejacket.
Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman conducted the experiment, with both men trying to get on a similar board.
They were able to both get on the board, but much of their bodies were still in the water. Hypothermia likely would have set in and both would have perished.
But then they made, what they call, a MacGyver-style tweak. They used the lifejacket worn by Rose and placed it under the board, giving it extra buoyancy.
80 percent of my body is out of the water and in the air, said Adam.
With the proper positioning to keep from tipping over, both men were able to stay mostly out of the water for the estimated 63 minutes it would have taken before being rescued.
With all we ve learned, I think Jack s death was needless, said Jamie.
Needless? Not so, said Titanic creator James Cameron when he was told the results.
The script says Jack dies. He has to die. So maybe we screwed up and the board should have been a little, tiny bit smaller, but the dude s going down, said Cameron.
Adam and Jamie conceded that point.
