Escape room’s ‘Submarine: Lost at Sea’ experience draws ire as submersible is missing

An escape room in Ohio has apologized after promotional Facebook posts were made about its “Submarine: Lost at Sea” experience.

The experience opened at Escape Room Cleveland in late April, more than a month before a tourist submersible went missing during five passengers’ voyage to view the wreckage of the Titanic, setting off an urgent rescue mission as their oxygen supply dwindled.

“We’d like to apologize for a post made yesterday,” the business said in a Facebook post Wednesday, June 21. “Our promotional posts are automated by an independent SEO company. As soon as we noticed the post, we removed it.”

The “Lost at Sea” experience opened April 28 at the escape room’s location in North Olmsted.

While promotional posts about the experience have been deleted, the game is still available to book as of Thursday. WOIO reported the escape room was receiving backlash over the promotional posts.

“Are you ready to dive into an adventure below the sea? Welcome aboard ‘The Atom,’ a retired nuclear submarine,” the escape room says in its description of the game. “You and your crew are on a top secret mission deep behind enemy lines. There is no room for error with odds stacked against you and only 60 minutes. Lost in uncharted waters and surrounded by enemies, can you finish your mission and reach the surface in time?

“Will you make it to the extraction point and reach your reinforcements or will you end up trapped at the bottom of the sea,” it continues. “Find out before you run out of oxygen in… ‘Submarine: Lost at Sea.’”

Jay Elder, the owner of the escape room, told WOIO there is “definitely no connection” to the game and recent news involving the Titan submersible that went missing in the North Atlantic earlier in the week.

Breathable air was expected to run out in the tourist submersible Thursday morning, according to the Associated Press. An underwater area twice the size of Connecticut is being searched.

The search for the submersible has been called “a needle in a haystack situation,” marine geophysicist Dr. Rob Larter told the AP.

“The post we made had nothing to do with current events,” the escape room said in its apology. “Our thoughts go out to those involved and their families at this time.”