Close Call Stories From People Who Almost Dove in the 'Titan' Submersible

These people almost plunged down to see the 'Titanic' debris with OceanGate Expedition's 'Titan,' but ultimately stayed above the surface. Read their close call stories

In the wake of the tragic submersible implosion that killed five passengers, people who previously had the opportunity to board Titan and explore the famous ship wreckage are now sharing why they ended up not following through.

Some explorers are thankful that their deep sea excursions were thwarted by unforeseen issues — like poor weather and worrisome flaws within the vessel — while others are glad they listened to their instincts and turned down the risky invitation from OceanGate Expedition.

Read these six close call stories from people who almost embarked on the dangerous mission but ultimately bowed out.

Jay and Sean Bloom

Despite his enthusiasm for the Titanic's tragic history, Sean Bloom refused to join his dad, Jay Bloom, on the dive inside the Titan submersible. The 20-year-old told PEOPLE that his instinctual safety concerns grew when he and a friend looked further into the ocean's dangers at such an extreme depth.

“I was worried because I didn’t think the submarine could withstand that kind of pressure and it wasn’t meant to go that far," said Sean, noting that the size of the vessel added to his doubt. "It just felt super unsafe. Something was telling me this was not the move.”

Ultimately, Sean and his financier father both passed on the "bucket list" trip with OceanGate Expeditions – despite the fact that the company's CEO, Stockton Rush, offered them tickets at a $100,000 discount.

A few months before the Titan went missing, Jay and Rush – who died with four other passengers aboard the vessel last week – discussed the expedition's safety issues. Rush assured Jay of the mission's safety, dismissing Sean's concerns. At one point, Jay remembers Rush claiming the mission was "safer than crossing the street."

"He was doing research and he had some scientific endeavors that he was doing. He was using tourists to pay for it,” said Jay, who shared his text conversations with Rush on Facebook. “That's how he was financing his operation, by charging observers to go with him.”

MrBeast

YouTuber James Stephen Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, also admitted to having turned down an opportunity to explore the Titanic's debris field with OceanGate Expeditions.

"I was invited earlier this month to ride the Titanic submarine, I said no. Kind of scary that I could have been on it," he tweeted, shortly after the company confirmed the missing Titan passengers had died.

He also shared a partial screenshot of a message seemingly sent to him by someone offering him the spot on the vessel. "Also, I'm going to the Titanic in a submarine late this month," the text fragment reads. "The team would be stoked to have you along."

Christine Dawood

Christine Dawood was originally meant to join her husband Shahzada Dawood on the catastrophic trip aboard the Titan submersible. Instead, she gave her seat to their 19-year-old son, Suleman. According to his mother, the teenager "really wanted to go" on the expedition (despite an earlier account from Suleman's aunt, who claimed he expressed fear and hesitancy). Both Suleman and Shahzada were among the passengers who died when the vessel imploded.

Speaking to the BBC after officials confirmed the accident, Christine explained that she and Shahzada planned to view the Titanic's wreckage together, but the trip was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the next opportunity came up again, she gave her seat to her son.

"I was really happy for them, they really wanted to do that for a very long time," said Christine. "They really wanted to do that for a very long time.”

Suleman's excitement was heightened by the Rubik's Cube he brought with him to solve at the bottom of the ocean. Christine said her son didn't go anywhere without the handheld puzzle, which he could solve in 12 seconds. She remembers him saying, "I'm going to solve the Rubik's Cube 3,700 metres below sea at the Titanic" before taking the journey.

Jake Koehler

YouTuber Jake Koehler, best known as DALLMYD, shared footage from his canceled trip to see the Titanic's sunken wreckage. The dive was called off due to poor weather and malfunctions with Titan's operation. Koehler was meant to travel alongside two of the passengers who died in the tragic implosion: OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

“With the whole world watching the rescue efforts of the missing submarine around the Titanic, I thought I'd share my experience of Mission III just a few weeks ago,” Koehler said in the opening of the video. "And if my dive wasn't canceled, it could have been me inside that submarine today."

Throughout the video, Koehler contextualizes some of the lighter scenes captured on camera, explaining that they weren't aware of the grim voyage that took place weeks later. "Please keep in mind we're all just trying to have a good time and I had no idea what the future had in store for everyone,” he said.

Koehler maintained he isn't sure the issues that suspended his journey correlate with the fatal accident.

"Long story short, every day they did have some problems and we tried to fix every little thing to make sure everything was perfect for our opportunity to dive on the Titanic,” he said. “It seems weird now, but at the time it just seemed like an everyday thing in my opinion."

Arnie Weissmann

Travel Weekly editor-in-chief Arnie Weissmann was scheduled to view the miles-deep remnants of the Titanic with OceanGate Expeditions one month before the tragedy. Weissmann told PEOPLE that his trip was also canceled due to bad weather, though he didn't think the problem-riddenTitan itself was ready to take the plunge.

"There just seemed like there was one thing after another," the editor said. On the fourth day, he woke up to see “the whole front of the platform and sub were underwater.”

"I felt that a lot of the problems on my mission were connected to the fact that the sub was being towed because in previous years, it had been on the ship and then lifted off the ship by a crane every time it dived,” said Weissmann, who never actually entered the Titan since Stockton Rush and his staff were constantly addressing its many issues.

During a conversation with Rush, Weissmann learned that the vessel was made of carbon fiber that was not certified to be used on aircraft — and that Rush had acquired it at a discounted price. The implication, Weissmann explained, was that airplane requirements were "very, very stringent," and the material "was perfectly good even though it was no longer qualified to be used in an airplane."

Monica Adorno

Monica Adorno's 2021 journey to the Titanic wreckage was another expedition canceled due to bad weather. However, other ongoing issues with the Titan planted seeds of skepticism in her mind. The Connecticut Post reported that the trip before Adorno's was plagued with problems, including delays due to uncharged batteries, a power failure and a mid-dive loss of communication.

After recent news broke about the missing submersible, Adorno remembered how Rush gave unconvincing explanations for the mishaps. The retired Connecticut local said she was told the battery faltered because someone tripped on an extension cord.

Adorno decided not to board the Titan altogether.

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