Titanic sub boss Stockton Rush told me dive was ‘safer than crossing street’ & tried to flog cheap tickets, says tycoon

A TYCOON who turned down tickets on the doomed Titan sub has revealed how Stockton Rush bragged it was “safer than crossing the street”. Jay Bloom shared texts from the OceanGate boss showing he and his son were offered a “last minute price” of £120,000 each – a discount on the usual £195,000 cost. FacebookTycoon Jay Bloom and his son Sean, who were offered seats on Titan at a discount price[/caption] Facebook/haasschoolofbusiness-us-berkeleyOceanGate CEO Stockton Rush said the sub was ‘safer than crossing the street’[/caption] OceanGate ExpeditionsTitan ‘catastrophically’ imploded while on a dive to the Titanic wreck – killing all five on board[/caption] Texts show Mr Rush speaking to Mr Bloom about a dive in May – which was postponed to June 18Facebook Mr Bloom told Stockton Rush his son was ‘concerned’ about the trip Businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, 19, had taken their spots and died alongside Rush, Brit billionaire Hamish Harding, and French Navy veteran Paul-Henri Nargeolet. A deep-sea robot sub found five major pieces of debris of Titan two miles beneath the surface on Thursday after a “catastrophic” implosion. Mr Bloom was set to go on the dive with his son Sean – but raised safety concerns with Mr Rush. 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. He passionately believed in what he was doing.” Mr Rush asked Mr Bloom and his son to go on the dive to the Titanic in May. But both of the trips in May were postponed due to bad weather – and delayed until the doomed June 18 dive. Mr Bloom said: “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.” Texts show how Mr Rush repeatedly tried to reassure Mr Bloom about the safety of the sub. Mr Bloom said his son was worried about the risks. Mr Rush told him: “I’m happy to have a video call with him. “Curious what the uninformed would say the danger is and whether it’s real or imagined.” Mr Rush acknowledged the risk, writing: “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.” Titan vanished less than two hours into its descent to the Titanic wreckage on Sunday. Search crews had been frantically looking for the vessel in the Atlantic after it lost communication on Sunday with just 96 hours of life support. The sub failed to resurface later that afternoon – with its final “ping” to mothership Polar Prince placing the sub directly above the ruins. OceanGate confirmed the five crew were dead in a statement on Thursday afternoon. Dr Dale Molé, the former director of undersea medicine and radiation health for the US Navy, revealed what would have happened during the crew’s tragic final moments. A violent implosion would have torn away the rear cover, landing frame, and ripped apart the sub’s hull – crushing the passengers inside. Molé told the Daily Mail: “It would have been so sudden, that they wouldn’t even have known that there was a problem, or what happened to them. “It’s like being here one minute, and then the switch is turned off. You’re alive one millisecond, and the next millisecond you’re dead.” Hollywood director James Cameron – who has completed 33 dives to the wreck – believes the crew would have heard creaking in the sub before it imploded, killing all five on board. “That’s quite a horrifying prospect,” he told CNN. He also drew comparisons to the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 after OceanGate came under fire for crucial safety blunders. The company faced a lawsuit over fears about the sub’s safety – and a former passenger revealed the vessel also went missing last year. “I’m struck by the similarity of the Titanic disaster itself, where the captain was repeatedly warned about ice ahead of his ship and yet he steamed at full speed into an ice field,” Cameron told ABC. Mr Rush said the Titanic dive was ‘way safer than scuba diving’Facebook FacebookJay Bloom – pictured with US president Joe Biden – was offered seats on Titan[/caption] GettyJay Bloom and actor James Caan[/caption]