There are only a few boats in the world that can go this deep. Ocean Gate itself only had one, which is why Van der Horst isn’t surprised that the company is now suspending all operations. “They have another submarine, but it can’t go that deep,” says Van der Horst.
The Titan was an experimental boat and all sorts of new things were tried with it. The boat had already been on the Titanic about ten times, so, according to Van der Horst, it probably gave enough confidence. “This time it was just one too many. Such a result is something all divers take into consideration.’
Underwater tourism
Diving tourism is developing. ‘We also have a company in the Netherlands that builds beautiful submarines for the rich. But because it’s commercial, they really have to cater for a lot of quality brands. These submarines are thoroughly checked and tested,’ says Van der Horst. He expects this market to take a short dip as a result of this crash, “but it will eventually bounce back.”