The OceanGate co-founder, who made a fateful excursion to the Titanic last year, is set to embark on another voyage to the ‘Portal of Hell’ in the Bahamas.
Guillermo Söhnlein founded Blue Marble in 2013, which recently announced that he and two others are exploring the unknown depths of Dean’s Blue Hole, over 600 feet deep.
Although divers have explored the area before, the Blue Marble will be the first to conduct a manned submarine trip to the bottom, during which the crew will remain “in complete darkness.” Which ship that is, is not yet known.
Unlike the failed Titan, which imploded in 2023, killing five people, the upcoming expedition will conduct a scientific survey of the area to potentially discover new marine species, a unique history, and the geological climate history of the hole.
Former OceanGate CEO and co-founder Guillermo Söhnlein sends an expedition to the ‘portal to hell’ hole, a year after the fatal Titan submarine implosion that killed five people during the descent to the Titanic
The announcement comes amid the first anniversary of the tragic implosion of the Titan submarine (pictured) that killed all five people on board
The hole, also known as the Sapphire Abyss, was formed 15,000 years ago and, with a depth of 200 meters, is the third deepest sinkhole in the world. The Titan submarine was about 10,000 feet underwater when it imploded.
Blue Marble Exploration has not yet 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 investigate the hole with scientist Kenny Broad and former NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski.
Broad tried to explore Dean’s Blue Hole in 2015 and almost lost his life – 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 fatalities in the world.
It is estimated that 130 to 200 people have died after falling into the hole in recent years.
“Locals believe that Dean’s is a gateway to hell and that the devil himself lurks in its black depths,” Blue Marble shared on its website in a since-deleted post.
“Every year, several people drown at Dean’s due to various misfortunes,” the company shared on its website in a since-deleted post.
“We fully expect to find human remains and are preparing to deal with these situations with due respect for the families.”
The abyss is a unique vase-shaped hole with a narrow opening at the surface leading to the wider cavern below. This makes it extra dangerous, as the team will be working in total darkness and the company said it should “expect the unexpected.”
‘The ecological diversity, the important geological formations and the largely unknown depths make [Dean’s Blue Hole] an ideal location for scientific discoveries and technological advancements,” the company said on its site.
‘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 investors a rare opportunity to support groundbreaking research that could deliver transformative insights and global environmental benefits.”
The team will use a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to search for ‘unprecedented finds’, as well as diving and potentially experiencing dangerous currents and thermal layers.
Dean’s Blue Hole is the third deepest sinkhole in the world, measuring 200 meters deep
Guillermo Söhnlein co-founded OceanGate in 2009 and founded Blue Marble Exploration in 2013
“Geologists believe there are openings in the walls of the main chamber that connect Dean’s to the Atlantic Ocean,” the website says.
‘This could potentially create unforeseen currents and thermal layers that could disrupt underwater operations.’
One of the main challenges the team will face, however, is the amount of pressure on the seafloor, which will be roughly 300 pounds per square inch – 20 times more than the surface.
The enormous pressure caused the submarine Titan to implode during the journey to the Titanic. However, the ship was so deep that it held tens of thousands of tons of water, comparable to the weight of the Eiffel Tower.
Dean’s Blue Hole is located in a very remote location off the coast of Clarence Town, on the south side of Long Island in the Bahamas.
Scientist Kenny Broad (left), who attempted a dive in Dean’s Blue Hole in 2015, joins the Blue Marble expedition to rediscover the secrets of the 663-foot deep canyon, along with former astronaut Scott Parazynski (right)
An estimated 130 to 200 people have died in recent years after jumping into Dean’s Blue Hole
It is thought that the material used to make Titan weakened due to the increasing pressure on the submarine, causing it to implode, similar to stomping on an empty soda can.
Crews on the surface lost communication with the submarine about an hour and 45 minutes after its dive to visit the Titanic wreck – the investigation into the disaster is still ongoing.
Söhnlein, who claims he can “safely” send people to Venus, commented on the incident last year, saying CBS News: ‘Let’s figure out what went wrong, let’s learn lessons, and let’s get back to that.
‘What we feel in any case is an even stronger need 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 always planned to explore Dean’s Blue Hole and that last year’s tragedy did not affect his plans.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Blue Marble Exploration for comment.
