The co-founder of OceanGate, which conducted a fatal excursion to the Titanic last year, is set to start a new journey to the ‘Portal of Hell’ in the Bahamas, it has been reported.
Guillermo Söhnlein, who founded Blue Marble in 2013, recently announced that he and two others will explore the uncharted depths of Dean’s Blue Hole, which is over 600 feet deep.
While divers have previously explored this region, Blue Marble will be the first to conduct a manned submersible trip to the bottom, where the crew will be in complete darkness.
The specific vessel for this mission has not yet been disclosed. Also known as the Sapphire Abyss, Dean’s Blue Hole formed 15,000 years ago and is the third deepest sinkhole in the world, extending down 663 feet.
In comparison, the Titan sub was approximately 9,800 feet underwater when it imploded.
Blue Marble Exploration has not confirmed the exact date of the expedition, but the announcement coincides with the anniversary of the Titan tragedy, which killed all on board, including OceanGate’s other co-founder Stockton Rush.
Söhnlein will be joined by scientist Kenny Broad and former NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski on this exploration. Broad previously attempted to explore Dean’s Blue Hole in 2015 during a free dive, which nearly cost him his life.
The hole is surrounded on three sides by a natural rock amphitheater, attracting more than 200,000 visitors each year.
It also holds the record for the most diver fatalities in the world, with an estimated 130-200 people having died after plunging into it in recent years.
“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,” the company shared on its website in a post that has since been deleted, reports Mail Online.
“We fully expect to find human remains and prepare to handle those situations with proper respect for the families.” The abyss is a distinctive vase-shaped hole with a narrow opening at the surface leading to a wider cavern below.
This unique structure makes the expedition more perilous, as the team will be working in total darkness. The company has stated that they will need to “expect the unexpected.”
The company added on the site: “Its ecological diversity, significant geological formations, and largely uncharted depths make [Dean’s Blue Hole] an ideal location for scientific discovery and technological advancement.
“By exploring this mysterious blue hole, we aim to unlock new knowledge about marine ecosystems, Earth’s ancient climate, and potentially reveal undiscovered species.
“This expedition offers a rare opportunity for investors to support pioneering research that could yield transformative insights and global environmental benefits.”
The team will use an ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) to search for ‘unprecedented findings’, in addition to personally embarking on the dive where they will experience potentially dangerous currents and thermal layers.
“Geologists believe there may be openings along the walls of the main chamber that connect Dean’s to the Atlantic Ocean,” the website previously explained.
“This can potentially cause unforeseen currents and thermal layers that could interfere with underwater operations.”
Söhnlein, who has claimed he can “safely” send humans to Venus, commented on the incident last year and told CBS News: “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 honor the five crew members who gave up their lives doing something that they loved.”
The OceanGate co-founder told The Independent that he had always planned on exploring Dean’s Blue Hole and last year’s tragedy has not impacted his plans.
Express.co.uk has contacted the Blue Marble Exploration for a comment.
