OceanGate co-founder organising trip to one of world's deepest sinkholes a year after Titan disaster

An undated photo provided by OceanGate Expeditions in June 2021 shows the company's Titan submersible. AP

A year on from the Titan submersible disaster, the OceanGate co-founder is organising a trip to one of the world's deepest underwater sinkholes.

Guillermo Söhnlein, 58, co-founded OceanGate in 2009 with Stockton Rush, who died in last year's submersible implosion at the age of 61.


After leaving the company in 2013, Mr Söhnlein co-founded another underwater exploration company, Blue Marble Exploration, and it has set its sights on a 663-feet previously unexplored sinkhole.

Locals believe that Dean's is a portal to hell and the Devil himself lurks in the black depths.

"Each year, several people drown in Dean's due to a variety of misfortunes. We fully expect to find human remains and prepare to handle those situations with proper respect for the families."

Uncharted waters, unforeseen currents, extreme pressure, near-complete darkness and the remote location are listed as challenges for the trip.

While the website says "join our expedition", it is not known whether this comes at a cost similar to the $250,000 Oceangate charged "citizen explorers" to see the Titanic wreckage.

It is not known what type of submersibles will be used for the mission.

OceanGate used a controversial carbon fibre hull in the Titan, and it is believed that this material weakened over time, resulting in last June's "catastrophic implosion".


Five people lost their lives when the sub imploded an estimated hour and 45 minutes into its dive to the Titanic wreck, which lies around 12,500 feet below the North Atlantic Ocean.