A billionaire is diving to Titanic depths in a deep-sea submersible to reassure those wary after last year’s OceanGate incident the watercraft industry is safer than ever .
The real estate investor Larry Connor, from Dayton, OH is set to dive over 12,400 feet, that’s 2.3 miles to the infamous Titanic shipwreck site in a brand new $20 million two-person submersible alongside Triton Submarines co-founder Patrick Lahey.
While Connor hasn’t disclosed the exact timing of the expedition, he assures the vessel, dubbed the Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer, is designed for repeat voyages to the Titanic site.
Connor told the Wall Street Journal Patrick had been conceptualizing the vessel for over a decade, but they had to wait for the perfect combo of materials and tech to bring their vision to life.
He says last year’s Titan sub disaster served as the catalyst for them to finally take action and construct a superior sub all with their end goal to demonstrate the journey could be completed safely.
He noted, “I want to show people worldwide that while the ocean is extremely powerful, it can be wonderful and enjoyable and really kind of life-changing if you go about it the right wayYou’ll remember.
In June last year, the OceanGate sub imploded with OceanGate’s CEO, Stockton Rush, among those onboard who perished. The other passengers who died included Paul Henri-Nargeolet, Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman.