Stockton Rush, the CEO of deep-sea tourism company OceanGate, tragically lost his life along with four others when a Titan submersible imploded during a mission. Prior to the incident, Rush had offered discounted tickets priced at $150,000 to a millionaire, which was a significant $100,000 reduction from the usual price of $250,000. However, the millionaire declined the offer due to concerns about safety. Recently, Jay Bloom, the millionaire and Las Vegas financier, shared text messages on Facebook that showed how Rush attempted to sell spots to him and his son, which were eventually filled by Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son Sulaiman, 19.
Bloom shared the text messages, which soon went viral, depicting the conversation between him and Rush regarding the trip to the Titanic wreckage. When expressing concerns about safety, Rush reassured Bloom by stating, “While there’s obviously risk, it’s way safer than flying in a helicopter or even scuba diving. There hasn’t even been an injury in 35 years in a non-military sub." In a lengthy Facebook post, Bloom expressed that Rush appeared even more complacent in person, recalling their last meeting when he tried to persuade him to join the ill-fated submersible.
“We talked about the dive, including safety," said Bloom, recalling the March 1 lunch and visit to the Titanic Exhibit at the Luxor Hotel & Casino in his hometown of Vegas. “He was absolutely convinced that it was safer than crossing the street," Bloom wrote, accompanying the viral chats.
He further mentioned that the seats he had declined were eventually taken by prominent Pakistani businessman Dawood and his apprehensive son, who reluctantly joined the Titanic trip to fulfill his father’s wishes.
Bloom, who prioritised safety and declined the offer, then expressed his condolences to Rush and the others who tragically lost their lives. In a grateful tone, he wrote, “We are going to take a minute to stop and smell the roses," acknowledging his and his son’s fortunate escape from the incident.
