He charged 250,000 dollars a ticket but described safety measures “a waste”.

Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate Expeditions – the company that organizes underwater trips to the Titanic wreckage – was onboard the mini-submarine Titan which is missing in Northern Atlantic.

The 6.7-meter long, 10-ton Cyclops-class submersible disappeared from radars on 20 June and lost communication with the mother ship Polar Prince but the rescue operation continued, OceanGate Expeditions said in a press release. 

The Titan was heading to explore the resting place of the Titanic, which hit an iceberg and sank in 1912.

It carried five people including Rush and used Starlink internet from Space X. 

The causes of Titan’s disappearance have been unknown. Whether the people onboard are still alive or whether they have any supplies left is any guess. 

There’s yet one curious fact that surfaced in connection with this tragedy. Stockton Rush said in a CBS podcast in November 2022 that “there should be limited” to safety requirements.

"You know, at some point, safety is just pure waste. I mean, if you just want to be safe, don't get out of bed, don't get in your car, don't do anything. At some point, you're going to take some risk, and it really is a risk-reward question. […] I think I can do this just as safely while breaking the rules," Rush opined.

OceanGate Expeditions charges 250,000 US dollars per passenger for a journey to a depth of 4 kilometers where the Titanic lies.