Dubai-based British billionaire Hamish Harding. ARCHIVE

Dubai-based billionaire Hamish Harding would have turned 59 on June 24 if not for the ill-fated Titanic sub tour that cost him his life. The British explorer was one of five people who died onboard the Titan submersible while touring the underwater wreckage of the Titanic. He reportedly paid $250,000 for a seat in what was supposed to be just a two-hour trip on Sunday, before the "experimental submersible" lost contact with its support ship. On Thursday, following days of an international search and rescue mission that combed the North Atlantic, US Coast Guard confirmed that it found debris from the submersible, which indicated that the deep-sea vessel suffered a “catastrophic implosion”, killing all passengers. Also onboard the doomed submersible were prominent Pakistani business Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman, French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet and OceanGate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush. “Due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023,” Harding said before the group went on the ill-fated underwater mission on Sunday. Following the deaths confirmed on Thursday, experts say there will now certainly be talks about whether this kind of deep-sea tour would ever be permitted. Harding, who lived in Dubai, was the chairman of private plane company Action Aviation. His family described him as "a guide, an inspiration, a support and a living legend". In a statement, his relatives said that the 58-year-old will be remembered as a loving husband and a dedicated father. "He was one of a kind and we adored him. He was a passionate explorer - whatever the terrain - who lived his life for his family, his business and for the next adventure,” they added. "What he achieved in his lifetime was truly remarkable and if we can take any small consolation from this tragedy, it's that we lost him doing what he loved," his family added. Harding is survived by his wife and his four children, including his step-son and step-daughter. Harding lived in Dubai with his wife and their two teenage sons. Dubai is where his company Action Group is based. He was described as a true adventurer. Harding earned a Guinness World Record for the fastest circumnavigation of the Earth via the North and South Poles by an aircraft in 2018. He also held the world record for the longest duration at full ocean depth by a crewed vessel. He dived to the lowest depth of the Mariana Trench in March 2021, headed to the South Pole with Buzz Aldrin, and took part in a human space flight. Norwegian explorer Jannicke Mikkelsen wrote on social media that Harding had set his sights on the Titanic. “Titanic was one of the big high points that he wanted to achieve in his life.” ICA/Expat Media
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