The co-founder of OceanGate, who took a fatal excursion to the Titanic last year, will embark on a new journey to the “Portal of Hell” in the Bahamas.
Guillermo Söhnlein founded Blue Marble in 2013, and 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 explored the region before, the Blue Marble will be the first to make a manned submersible journey to the bottom, where the crew “will be in complete darkness”; the ship doesn’t know yet.
Unlike the failed Titan, which imploded in 2023, killing five people, the upcoming expedition will conduct a scientific study of the area to potentially uncover new marine species, unique history, and the geological and climatic history of the sinkhole.
Former CEO and co-founder of OceanGate, Guillermo Söhnlein, will send an expedition to the ‘portal to hell’ hole a year after the fatal implosion of the Titanic submersible that killed five people during its descent to the Titanic.
The announcement comes amid the first anniversary of the tragic implosion of the Titan submersible (pictured) that killed all five people on board.
Also known as the Sapphire Abyss, the hole formed 15,000 years ago and is the third deepest sinkhole in the world, stretching 200 meters (the submarine Titan was about 3,000 meters underwater when it imploded).
Blue Marble Exploration has not confirmed when the expedition will depart, but the announcement comes amid the anniversary of the Titan tragedy that killed everyone on board, including OceanGate co-founder Stockton Rush.
Söhnlein will explore the hole with scientist Kenny Broad and former NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski.
Broad previously attempted to explore Dean’s Blue Hole in 2015 and nearly lost his life in the process, but that was during a free dive.
The hole is surrounded on three sides by a natural rock amphitheater that is visited by more than 200,000 people each year and has the highest number of diver deaths in the world.
It is estimated that between 130 and 200 people have died after falling into the hole in recent years.
“Locals believe Dean’s is a portal to Hell and that the Devil himself lurks in the dark depths,” Blue Marble shared on its website in a post that has since been deleted.
“Each year, several people drown at Dean’s due to a variety of misfortunes,” the company shared on its website in a post that has since been deleted.
“We expect to find human remains and we are prepared to handle such situations with due respect for the families.”
The chasm is a single vase-shaped hole with a narrow opening on the surface that leads to a wider cavern below, making it more dangerous because the team will be working in total darkness and the company said they will have to ” expect the unexpected”.
“Its ecological diversity, significant geological formations and largely unexplored depths make (Dean’s Blue Hole) an ideal location for scientific discovery and technological advancement,” the company said on its website.
“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 unique opportunity for investors to support pioneering research that could generate transformative insights and global environmental benefits.”
The team will use a ROV (remotely operated vehicle) to search for “unprecedented discoveries” as well as personally embarking on the dive where they will experience potentially dangerous thermal currents and layers.
Dean’s Blue Hole is the third deepest ocean sinkhole in the world, measuring 663 feet deep.
Guillermo Söhnlein co-founded OceanGate in 2009 and formed Blue Marble Exploration in 2013
“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 could cause unexpected currents and thermal layers that could interfere with underwater operations.’
However, one of the main challenges the team will face is the amount of pressure on the seafloor, which will be about 300 pounds per square inch, 20 times more than at the surface.
The overwhelming pressure was what caused the Titan submersible to implode during its journey to the Titanic, although the ship was so deep that the amount of water weighing on it was tens of thousands of tons, equivalent to the weight of the Eiffel Tower.
Dean’s Blue Hole is located in an extremely remote location off the coast of Clarence Town, at the southern tip of Long Island in the Bahamas.
Scientist Kenny Broad (left), who attempted to dive Dean’s Blue Hole in 2015, will participate in the Blue Marble expedition to once again try to unlock the secrets of the 663-foot abyss, along with former astronaut Scott Parazynski (right ).
It is estimated that between 130 and 200 people have died after diving into Dean’s Blue Hole in recent years.
The material used in the Titan was believed to have weakened as pressure on the submersible increased, causing it to implode, similar to stepping on an empty soda can.
The crews on the surface lost communication with the submarine approximately one hour and 45 minutes after its dive to visit the wreck of the Titanic; The investigation into the disaster is still ongoing.
Söhnlein, who has claimed he can send humans to Venus “safely,” commented on last year’s incident, saying CBS News: “Let’s figure out what went wrong, learn lessons, and get back there again.
‘If anything, what we feel is an even stronger imperative to continue doing this kind of exploratory work.
“I think it’s important for humanity and it’s probably the best way to honor the five crew members who gave their lives doing something they loved.”
OceanGate co-founder said The Independent that he had always planned to explore Dean’s Blue Hole and that last year’s tragedy did not affect his plans.
DailyMail.com has contacted Blue Marble Exploration for comment.
