Las Vegas Businessman and Son Turned Down Seats on Titan Sub

Cyclops 1 Submersible, the predecessor of the Titan sub used by OceangatePhoto byWikimedia

Las Vegas businessman Jay Bloom revealed that he and his son were offered seats on the submersible that went missing during a trip to explore the Titanic wreckage but decided not to go.

Bloom shared text messages on Facebook between him and Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate, the company that owned the submersible named Titan.

In an interview with CNN, Jay's son Sean mentioned his father was keen to reserve two spots on the sub because of Sean's childhood fascination with the Titanic. But Sean talked him out of him because he was concerned with the safety of the vessel.

Rush flew into Vegas on a plane he made, which raised alarm bells for Jay. Jay said he didn't share the "risk appetite" that Rush had.

The seats reserved for Jay and Sean Bloom were passed onto Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, who are suspected to have died in the unfortunate incident.

Rush and four other passengers were on the submersible when it lost contact with the support vessel and disappeared. Debris found near the Titanic site has been confirmed to be from the submersible. All five passengers, including Rush, are believed to have died.

Experts say the submersible imploded and may have killed all those on board.

Bloom expressed his gratitude for not going on the trip and shared his concerns about the submersible's safety. He and his son declined the offer due to scheduling issues and doubts about the materials used and the submersible's components.