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

Guillermo Söhnlein’s Blue Marble Exploration is planning a descent to explore Dean’s Blue Hole

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.

Located in the Bahamas, Dean’s Blue Hole is described by the company as “being virtually explored” and anyone joining the first manned submersible dive to the site is encouraged to “expect the unexpected”.

Blue Marble Exploration’s website says: “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.

The expedition expects to encounter various challenges in the sinkhole. (Alamy)

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.

The ad for the mission reads: “The next frontier for our team is in the underwater depths of Dean’s Blue Hole.

“In the first descent of crewed submersibles, equipped with LED lights and underwater drone technology, our scientists will be able to venture into some of Earth’s least hospitable conditions in search of unprecedented findings.”

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.

The submersible vessel named Titan was used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic until it imploded last June. (AP)

Mr Söhnlein, who also believes he can “safely” send humans to Venus, gave several interviews in the wake of last June’s disaster.

He told Reuters: “Let’s figure out what went wrong, let’s learn lessons and let’s get down there again.

“If anything, what we’re feeling is an even stronger imperative to continue doing this kind of exploration work. I think it’s important for humanity, and it’s probably the best way to honour the five crew members who gave up their lives doing something that they loved.”

Speaking on behalf of Blue Marble Exploration, Mr Söhnlein confirmed to The Independent that the dive to the sinkhole will be carried out in classed submersibles and the crew will not be tourists, but trained professionals.

He stressed that this was always the plan for the company and it was not changed in light of last year’s disaster.