UK businessman Chris Brown is thanking his stars for his decision to pull out of the adventurous trip to the Titanic wreck at the last minute.
A digital marketing businessman, Mr Brown had signed up for the deep dive worth 80,000 pounds "over a few beers" with this friend and British billionaire Hamish Harding while on business magnate Sir Richard Branson's Necker island, according to several media reports.
All five people aboard a submersible missing near the wreck of the Titanic died -- likely in an instant -- after their vessel suffered what the US Coast Guard said Thursday was a "catastrophic implosion" in the ocean depths.
Among the five people aboard the vessel were British billionaire Hamish Harding, Pakistani tycoon Shahzada Dawood, and his son.
Mr Brown, recounting his big decision, explained why he had agreed in the first place.
"Being a modern-day adventurer interested in pushing the boundaries of our knowledge of places that people go to... the Titanic is obviously an iconic wreck," he said, according to a report in The Independent. "It's a chance for an expedition, an exploration and adding a bit of science into the situation."
Agreeing to take the trip, the businessman had promptly paid the deposit too. However, his excitement was clouded by concerns when he saw Oceangate, which was facilitating the trip, "cut too many corners", reported the Sun.
According to the report, Mr Brown was shocked to find "old scaffolding poles" used for the submersible's ballast. "It's controls were based on computer game-style controllers," he said.
"Eventually I emailed them and said, 'I'm no longer able to go on this thing," Brown told the Sun. "I asked for a refund after being less than convinced."
Brown said that even though he is not one to shy away from risk, "the risks were too high in this instance".
The businessman is now eagerly waiting for any news of the missing submarine, in which his friend is. "I feel really upset about Hamish," he said, “The focus right now has to be on trying to rescue these people."
