A tycoon has revealed he gave up his seats on the doomed Titanic submarine for the British businessman and his teenage son.
Jay Bloom has released text messages between himself and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush which shows the owner offering him and his son a "last minute price" of $150,000 instead of the usual $250,000 fee to board the submarine.
In February Mr Rush had asked the tycoon and his son Sean to go on the Titanic shipwreck tour but both May dives were postponed due to severe weather and the dive was delayed until June 18.
He expressed his sadness at Mr Rush's death along with Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman, who had taken their spots on the doomed vessel, along with French Navy veteran Paul-Henri Nargeolet and British billionaire Hamish Harding.
He wrote on Facebook: "I told him that due to scheduling we couldn’t go until next year. Our seats went to Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman Dawood, two of the other three who lost their lives on this excursion, the fifth being Hamish Harding.
"RIP Stockton and crew. As for Sean and I... we are going to take a minute to stop and smell the roses. Tomorrow is never promised. Make the most of today'.
Text messages from Mr Rush were sent to the tycoon to try and reassure him the Titan was safe and that he would be fine heading to the Titanic.
However, his son Sean was worried about the risks involved after speaking with a friend, as Mr Rush asked for a video call with him to try and put his worries at ease.
They discussed how the hull would deal with pressure, and if the vessel came into contact with a whale.
Mr Rush, who had previously criticised safety regulations, wrote back saying: "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 non-military subs."
However, the five men on board the vessel were killed in just seconds after the submersible suffered a "catastrophic implosion" just 1,600ft from the bow of the Titanic, according to the US Coast Guard.
A remotely operated submarine discovered the debris on the ocean floor.
Mr Bloom expressed his sympathies to the families of the victims but added he was concerned over the safety's ship, which he claims weren't taken seriously enough.
In a Facebook post he said: "I expressed safety concerns and Stockton told me: “While there's obviously risk – it's way safer than flying in a helicopter or even scuba diving".
"He was absolutely convinced that it was safer than crossing the street. I am sure he really believed what he was saying. But he was very wrong'."
