Kriti Mehrotra
As a documentary living up to its title in every way conceivable, ABC’s ‘Fatal Dive to the Titanic: Truth and Lies’ can only be described as equal parts bewildering, intriguing, as well as shocking. That’s because it incorporates not just archival footage but also exclusive interviews to really shine a light upon the June 18, 2023, OceanGate Titan submersible implosion that claimed five lives. Amongst them could have been father-son duo Jay and Sean Bloom, yet the truth is they fatefully dropped out of this Titanic wreck excursion mere months prior owing to safety concerns.
Who Are Jay and Sean Bloom?
It was reportedly back when Sean was a young boy that he first became fascinated by the story of the doomed British passenger liner, so when his father heard there was a company that actually took tourists deep down into the North Atlantic Ocean to actually see its wreck, he contacted them. After all, going on strange, unique, exhilarating exploratory adventures together was Jay and Sean’s thing since the latter was a child, especially as they didn’t really have to worry about the finances thanks to the patriarch’s exceptional skills as an investor, real estate developer, and entrepreneur.
However, despite the fact Sean was initially super excited, everything turned upside down for him the second he came across OceanGate’s Co-founder, CEO, plus Engineer, Stockton Rush. The first red flag for him, according to People, rose during the latter’s arrival in Las Vegas, Nevada, itself for their first meeting because he didn’t fly commercial. They asked how come he’d landed at a North Las Vegas strip, only for the inventor to reply, “Yeah, I built this plane with my hands, and I’m test-flying it right now,” driving the young 20-year-old to research his builds a lot more carefully.
That’s when Sean uncovered Stockton used carbon fiber for his submersibles and began worrying whether it would hold the unwavering pressure of the North Atlantic Ocean. He knew they’d done excursions like this prior, yet he couldn’t get the gut feeling of something going wrong to go away, which is when he approached his father with his research and legitimate fears. And Jay, like any father would, shared these concerns with the CEO, only to be told his son was completely “uninformed,” which obviously didn’t sit well with either of them in the long run.
“[Stockton] basically told me he knew I’m a helicopter pilot, and he said, ‘This is safer than flying a helicopter. It’s safer than scuba diving.’ And at lunch he said, ‘It’s safer than crossing the street,'” Jay has since recounted. “He was a good guy, great heart, really believed in what he was doing and saying. But he didn’t want to hear anything that conflicted with his world view, and he would just dismiss it. He absolutely believed what he was saying. But I didn’t want to get into the safety concerns anymore, because he was so vested in his position. And anybody who questioned it just had a differing opinion.”
Moreover, and more importantly, it felt strange to Jay and Sean that once they’d expressed their doubts, Stockton only pushed them further to go ahead with this journey, even going as far as to take more meetings and over a $100,000 discount of each of the $250,000 tickets. “As late as the end of May, or in mid-May, he was texting me that they had spots open a week or two out,” Jay said. “…He was so passionate about this project, and he was such a believer. He drank his own Kool-Aid, and there was just no talking him out of it. I don’t think Stockton understood the risk himself, or didn’t want to understand the risk.” Though little did they know their fears would actually become a reality.
Where Are Jay and Sean Bloom Now?
Despite the fact Jay and Sean somehow miraculously didn’t end up going through with this “bucket list” deep sea adventure of theirs, all they feel is a complex mixture of grief and relief because of what transpired. Their tickets ended up going to another affluent father-son duo, British-Pakistani businessman as well as philanthropist Shahzada and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood, who both sadly lost their lives with the Titan submersible imploded on June 18, 2023. While Sean has since asserted he’s grateful his father listened to him, Jay has said neither he nor his son can “escape” what transpired. “I see this picture of this Pakistani businessman and his son. But for the grace of God, that would be our picture.”
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As for what Jay and Sean are up to these days, it seems like they still reside in Las Vegas, Nevada, where the former continues to serve as a billionaire financier, real estate developer, and businessman. The latter, on the other hand, helps out his father in all operations while also apparently spreading his wings to build his own independent standing to make the world a better place at the moment. Moreover, and more importantly, from what we can tell, despite everything, this father-son duo fortunately hasn’t lost their sense of adventure and spirit and continues to travel across the world to this day, as evidenced by the latter social media platforms.
Read More: Where is Wendy Weil Rush Now?
