If you’ve had space travel on your mind, you may want to put that particular notion on the back-burner because a whole new (well, old) frontier has opened to the public. We’re talking, of course, about the wreckage of the ill-fated Titanic passenger liner that sank in the Atlantic back in 1912. The new deep-sea expeditions will kick off later this summer from St John’s in the Canadian province of Newfoundland under the purview of American company OceanGate.
Despite having a significant delay to its initial dive date – slated for May last year – excitement remains high for what will be the first explorations of the decaying ship since 2005. As one might expect, tickets for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity are going for a pretty penny at over US$100,000 per head. For that price, OceanGate Expition CEO Stockton Rush promises an experience “more rare than space travel”, a statement further underscored by the fact that this may be a time-bound adventure indeed. As a study conducted in 2016 suggests, due to the presence of “extremophile bacteria”, the shipwreck could be eaten away in just 15 to 20 years, thus destroying the remains of the sunken ship.
The highlight of the dive experience encompasses a submarine that will dive some 3,800m into the Atlantic to survey the rusting remains of the tragic British passenger liner. Limited to five people and eight hours per dive, lucky passengers will also be treated to the title of “mission specialists” and given the opportunity to undertake hands-on roles in gathering data, be trained in underwater photography, and archiving duties. The gathered data is expected to throw light on the ship’s decay timeline, while also collecting materials for a virtual reality project that will allow a wider audience to experience the Titanic wreck from the comforts of land.
Those interested in securing a seat are best to act now as only two seats remain open for the six 2019 expeditions, however, if you can’t wiggle it into your diary this year, more will be offered in 2020. Visit this website to find out more.