The 19-year-old who died on the Titan submersible brought a Rubik's cube with him because he wanted to break a world record: BBC

• Suleman Dawood brought a Rubik's cube onto the Titan in an effort to break a world record, per the BBC.
• His mother, Christine Dawood, said the 19-year-old was a big fan of the puzzle and could solve it in 12 seconds.

Suleman Dawood, the 19-year-old onboard the Titan, brought a Rubik's cube with him because he wanted to try and break a world record, his mother Christine Dawood told the BBC.

"He said, 'I'm going to solve the Rubik's cube 3,700 meters below sea at the Titanic,'" his mother said.

The teenager, who was a student at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, the UK, contacted the Guinness World Records about his efforts before the expedition, she said.

She added that his father, Shahzada Dawood — one of Pakistan's richest men — even brought a camera along to record his son's world record attempt.

The teenager was a big fan of the puzzle and carried it everywhere he went, Christine told the BBC. He was so adept at it that he could solve it in 12 seconds.

A Guinness World Records spokesperson confirmed to Insider that the organization did receive an application from Suleman earlier this year, with a new record title suggestion for "the deepest Rubik's Cube solved."

"We were saddened by the events of last week and send our condolences to Suleman Dawood's mother Christine and all those affected," the representative added.

Christine and her daughter, Alina Dawood, were onboard the Polar Prince, the Titan's support ship, when the submersible first lost contact.

"I didn't comprehend at that moment what it meant — and then it just went downhill from there," she told the BBC.

Christine added that both she and her daughter will try to learn how to solve the Rubik's cube puzzle in honor of Suleman.

June 27, 2023: This article has been updated to include comments from the Guinness World Records.