In July of 2014, rapper Macklemore rode inside an OceanGate submersible in search of an elusive species of sharks. Macklemore’s trip was organized to search for sixgill sharks, also known as the “cow shark,” by the philanthropic partner of the submersible company, OceanGate Foundation, and the Discovery Channel series Daily Planet, according to OceanGate’s website.
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The dive with Macklemore took place at Elliott Bay in Washington State aboard the Antipodes vessel, which was designed to be “utilized for shallow expeditions” and could “explore to depths of 305 meters (1,000) feet,” according to OceanGate.
“Our objective was to find the elusive sixgill sharks that roam the deep waters in Puget Sound, and fulfill a lifelong dream and ambition of Macklemore, a devoted shark enthusiast,” read a statement by OceanGate. “To attract sixgill sharks to the dive site, the team sank a bait ball to a depth of over 400 feet two days prior to the dive. Our objective was to position the bait near an existing shipwreck to attract other marine life on this artificial reef.”
Daily Planet documented that entire expedition for a feature presentation on Shark Week, which aired on August 11, 2014.
OceanGate has recently been in the news after its submersible, Titan, which explores depths of up to 12,500 feet to view the wreckage of the Titanic, went missing on Sunday (June 18).
On Thursday (June 22), several days after a lengthy international rescue effort, which included assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard and the Navy, it was revealed that the five passengers all perished when the vessel imploded. The passengers on board were OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, along with Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
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