Richard Branson's Deep-Sea Exploration Plans on Hold

The deep-water exploration plans of a Newport Beach man and his billionaire partner, Richard Branson, have been delayed as work continues on the submarine that is to take them on missions to the ocean's floor, The Log reported today.

Chris Welsh and Branson unveiled a submarine designed to reach the deepest parts of the world's oceans during an .The sub's mothership, a 125-foot-long catamaran called Cheyenne, has been moored in Newport Harbor since.

The Virgin Oceanic submarine was originally scheduled to begin its missions in August, according to The Log. Welsh told The Log that the deep-water sub is in San Francisco undergoing more work, namely the construction of a quartz dome that can withstand 13 million pounds of pressure. The original dome cracked.

In the meantime, The Log reported, Welsh will take Cheyenne and another sub—one that can reach depths of 1,000 feet—down the coast of Baja California to find great white sharks and tag them with tracking devices for Scripps Institution of Oceanography.