Four businessmen reveal reasons they decided against taking a trip on OceanGate's Titanic sub
A group of businessmen have revealed the reasons they decided against boarding the Titan submersible's failed expedition down to the wreckage of the Titanic.
The men's decision not to join the $250,000-a-go mission ultimately saved their lives, after the vessel imploded, tragically taking the lives of CEO Stockton Rush and four 'civilian explorers'.
One would-be explorer initially signed up for the trip with friend Hamish Harding - who was onboard the doomed vessel - after enjoying 'a few beers' while holidaying on Sir Richard Branson's Necker Island.
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However, diver Chris Brown, from Harrogate in North Yorkshire, UK, later decided against the trip - despite having paid an £80,000 deposit for the voyage.
"I found out they used old scaffolding poles for the sub's ballast. And its controls were based on computer game-style controllers," he told the Daily Beast.
"If you're trying to build your own submarine you could probably use old scaffold poles. But this was a commercial craft."
Harding, 68, still went ahead with the expedition and was one of the four explorers who tragically lost his life.
The other crew members included French diver Paul-Henry Nargeolet and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman.
Brown has since said he's 'deeply saddened' by the tragedy, adding that "the world of exploration has lost some amazing individuals."
Another explorer, David Concannon, had booked onto the maritime mission, but ended up having to cancel his spot due to a last minute work trip taking precedence.
Meanwhile, Vegas financier Jay Bloom was offered a $100,000 discount to board the OceanGate sub with his son Sean, but ultimately declined.
Robert Mester, a former marine and deepwater salvage expert, had previously been approached by OceanGate's Rush and offered the chance to board the Titan's predecessor Antipodes, as well as the Titan sub itself, but decided against it over concerns around the material of the submarine.
"Quite frankly, I found something else to take that time up, rather than take the trip," he told the MailOnline.
"[The Titan] has a carbon fiber hull, which, how do I put this… it's not a material that's ever been successfully used at great depths."
Bloom has since shared a series of texts with late CEO Rush, where he explained his son had become frightened and no longer wanted to go on the voyage.
Rush assured him the sub was 'safer than crossing the street', - something which Bloom says the founder 'really believed', but 'was very wrong'.
The businessman also expressed great sadness for all five people who lost their lives, including Dawood and his 19-year-old son, both of who took his and his son's place on the vessel.
Emma Rosemurgey