Dive Expeditions to the Titanic to Begin in May 2018
Numerous Titanic fans will be happy to hear about the beginning of dive tours to the famous shipwreck in May 2018. The expedition participants will have a unique chance to descend more than two miles (3.2 km) below the surface of the Atlantic to explore the Titanic and it’s surroundings. What’s more, this could well be one of the last opportunities to visit the site, since, according to a 2016 study, the extremophile bacteria can eat the shipwreck away inside 15 or 20 years. Don’t rush to pack your bags though. The tour to the legendary Titanic is an ultimate in luxury travel. Participants will have to pay a whopping $105,129 per person, the exact price of the only voyage aboard the Titanic, adjusted for inflation.
So what do you get for your money?
A journey to the sunken Titanic in itself is an exceptional opportunity. Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate Expeditions says:
“Since her sinking 105 years ago, fewer than 200 people have ever visited the wreck, far fewer than have flown to space or climbed Mount Everest. This is an incredible opportunity to explore one of the most rarely seen and revered landmarks on the planet.”
What’s more, the Blue Marble Private, a luxury travel company organizing the tour, has created an exciting and illuminating itinerary. Tourists, known as Mission Specialists, will be offered the following:
- Helicopter or seaplane flight from St. John’s in Newfoundland to the expedition support yacht above the wreck.
- Three days learning about the ship’s workings and how to operate the sonar and underwater navigation systems.
- Three potential days of diving in a purpose-built titanium and carbon-fiber submersible.
- The opportunity to spot all kinds of unusual and colorful marine life during the 90-minute descent.
- Three hours exploring different regions of the 269-meter-long wreck, including the deck, the bow, the bridge, the cavern where the grand staircase was once located, and a massive debris field, home to numerous artifacts from Titanic.
- An ability to see 3D and 2D sonar scans of the ship's giant boilers, enormous propellers, and other landmarks.
Despite the hefty price tag, all nine spots for the first trip have already been booked. Blue Marble is also planning further expeditions for the summer of 2019.
Although tourists have rarely visited the wreckage before, this is not the first, nor the only expedition to Titanic. The last was a group in 2012, hosted by Deep Ocean Expeditions at a cost of $59,000 per person. There is also a Los Angeles-based luxury-travel company Bluefish taking reservations for their 2018-19 tour.
Would you like to visit Titanic? Leave your opinion in the comments below.
