$130,000 could get you on a dive to the Titanic
Are you a risktaking adventurer with $130,000 to spare?
The first manned survey of the rusting RMS Titanic in 13 years will depart in June from St. John’s, N.L. — and they’re still taking applications.
“It’s not for somebody who’s frail but it’s not as strenuous as, say, climbing a major mountain or going on a one-week bike trip through the Alps which some of our participants have done,” said expedition leader Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate Inc., a private company based in Everett, Wash.
Far more people have explored space than have seen the Titanic, resting about 4,000 metres deep in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland.
Thanks to a scheduling change, three of 54 previously sold-out spots are now available for submersible dives this summer as part of a six-week mission to assess what’s left of the fabled wreck.
Their $130,000 seats — US$105,129 — were priced at the inflation-adjusted cost of a first-class ticket for Titanic’s doomed maiden voyage, and help fund the company’s research. Each participant gets flown out for seven days on the chartered research vessel and at least one dive to the wreck site on a five-person sub lasting six to nine hours.
“We have some folks who are mountain climbers, we have others who’ve been to the South Pole,” said Rush.
“One guy, I think he snowshoed to the North Pole. It’s a varied group, but I think the unifying characteristic is they’re adventurous.” Ages range from 23 to 75. “He convinced us he’s healthy,” Rush said of the eldest “mission specialist” who will help fund the endeavour while assisting with research and photography. It won’t be a pleasure cruise.
“Quite a few of our participants are in their 50s and 60s,” Rush said. They hail from all over the world, including several Americans, Australians, Brits and others from across the globe. They must go through training to escape a helicopter in water and be able to climb a six-metre ladder.
There are 18 spots left for a similar expedition in 2019, with others planned in subsequent years. Rush said cutting-edge high resolution imaging and underwater laser scanners will help create a highly detailed 3D virtual model to better track Titanic’s decay.