- During a submersible dive in July 2014, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush promised to buy Macklemore a “baby” shark if they didn’t spot any.
- In a video uploaded to OceanGate’s YouTube channel in December 2021, Macklemore and Rush shook hands and agreed to the deal.
- Fortunately, Macklemore and the OceanGate crew did spot a juvenile sixgill shark during their expedition.
The late OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush once made a promise to Macklemore during a submersible dive in July 2014. If they were unable to spot any sharks, Rush said he would buy Macklemore a “baby” shark. This exchange was recorded in a video uploaded on OceanGate’s YouTube channel in December 2021.
“If we don’t see a shark, you will buy me a shark,” Macklemore told Rush.
“A little one,” Rush replied.
“A baby shark?” Macklemore asked.
“Baby one,” Rush said.
“That’s a deal,” Macklemore said as he shook Rush’s hand.
Macklemore joined Rush and his crew in a dive to search for sharks in Elliot Bay, Washington. The expedition utilized OceanGate’s submersible named Antipodes. The dive was documented by Discovery Channel as part of their weeklong programming event called “Shark Week.”
OceanGate’s website states, “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.” To attract the sharks, the OceanGate team had to sink a “bait ball” to a depth of over 400 feet two days before the dive. Additionally, they had to turn off the submersible’s lights during the dive to draw the sharks closer to their vessel.
The efforts paid off when Macklemore and the OceanGate crew spotted a juvenile sixgill shark swimming alone in the dark near the bait tank.
“It was incredible. I did not think we would see one. It got to a certain point I lost faith,” Macklemore expressed in the video.
Following this expedition, Rush and OceanGate faced criticism due to the disappearance of the company’s Titan submersible during a dive to the Titanic shipwreck. On June 18, the Titan vanished, and Rush and four other passengers were declared dead after the US Coast Guard suggested that the submersible likely imploded during the dive.
Representatives for Macklemore and OceanGate have not yet responded to Insider’s request for comments sent outside regular business hours.
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