About a year ago the Titan sub, owned by OceanGate, embarked on a journey to visit the remains of the RMS Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean. During this expedition, the vessel malfunctioned and an implosion occurred, killing all five passengers.
Guillermo Söhnlei co-founded OceanGate in 2009 with Stockton Rush. While he left in 2013, Söhnlei is now planning another dangerous underwater expedition. This time it’s with his new company, Blue Marble Exploration, to the Dean’s Blue Hole sinkhole in the Bahamas. The spot is known to locals by the not-at-all-ominous nickname, “portal to hell.”
The Portal to Hell
Dean’s Blue Hole is one of the world’s deepest underwater sinkholes measuring 663 feet deep. That kind of dept in uncharted waters brings the risk of unforeseen currents, extreme pressure, and near-complete darkness. All of these factors have led to it only being “virtually explored” until now.
So the team on board is being told to “expect the unexpected.” Luckily, the team for Söhnlei’s trip is wildly different from the one onboard the Titan. Despite the website previously saying “join our expedition,” those on board will all be trained professionals and not tourists.
The Legends & Reality
Blue Marble Exploration made a now-deleted Facebook post about the legends surrounding The Portal to Hell. “Locals believe that Dean’s is a portal to hell and the devil himself lurks in the black depths,” it once read.
But the reality is, “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.” In recent years Dean’s Blue Hole has been reported to have claimed as many as 200 lives.
The Ship
Söhnlein is also adamant that only certified submersibles will be used for the mission, which was always the plan even before the Titan disaster. One of the biggest criticisms about the Titan was the use of a carbon fiber hull that is believed to have weakened over time. Making it a major cause of the implosion.
Even with the controversy surrounding these kinds of explorations, Söhnlein has remained firm in his support. “If anything, what we’re feeling is an even stronger imperative to continue doing this kind of exploration work,” he said. “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.”
