COLUMBUS, Ohio — Larry Connor knows all too well the risks – and rewards – of deep sea diving. In 2021, he reached the deepest ocean depths in the Mariana Trench, 35,856 feet below sea level in the Western Pacific Ocean. It was one of three dives inside a 5x5 foot submersible.
“The sea is a very unforgiving place. And so, you have to approach it with safety in mind,” Connor told 10TV News from the headquarters of his company, The Connor Group, in Dayton.
“I spent a number of months trying to understand research and kind of prepare to do these dives, what we call “s & s”- safely and successfully," he said.
Connor also knows when something goes wrong, you’re on your own until help arrives. He says hearing the news Monday about the Titan submersible losing all communication and navigation within two hours of the dive instantly concerned him.
“They were using what I understand is carbon and the standard in the industry is to use titanium, new materials,” Connor explained while detailing the rigorous inspections companies must go through to become certified.
“For example, Triton submarines, based here in the United States [have] been in business for over two decades, every single one of their submersibles goes through this rigorous DNV certification,” Connor said of the company which made the submersible that carried him and Triton owner Patrick Lahey.
“That starts with design materials and manufacturing, and they come here to the States either monthly or quarterly to inspect. And then once the submersible is built, there are annual inspections. There are bigger inspections every three years, five years,” Connor added.
Initial investigative reports indicate OceanGate, which operated the Titan, was not certified.
Experts in ocean exploration are now questioning whether future missions should be paused. Connor disagrees so long as science – and not tourism – is the focus.
“The ocean is important and that research deep in the ocean really matters,” he says. It’s a familiar theme behind why Connor chose to pilot the Ax-1 Axiom, the first fully private astronaut mission to the International Space Station in April 2022.
“I would certainly hope that the result of all this is a rigorous, rigorous investigation to get to the root cause of what really transpired. And where appropriate that there's new, regular regulations and certifications or the enforcement of current, you know, certifications to make it to ensure that, you know, it's safe for everyone,” he added.