Tourists Will Be Able to Dive the <Em>Titanic</em> Shipwreck Starting as Soon as 2021

The Independent reports that between May and September of next year, six excursions will be departing from Canada for the famed shipwreck. Each passenger gets a private cabin on the eight-day journey and the chance to actually pilot a five-person submersible while completing the 90-minute descent to the Titanic. Dives last six to eight hours, with three hours set aside for exploring the ship itself. The trips will also double as scientific research missions to study the sea life around the ship. Nine passengers will be allowed on each excursion, and 36 tickets have already sold.

According to OceanGate, “The expedition crew size for each mission is about 40 people, including nine citizen explorers known as mission specialists, submersible pilots, operations crew, and content experts. Qualified individuals join the crew as mission specialists to support the mission by helping to underwrite the expedition and by actively assisting the team aboard the submersible and the ship in roles such as communications, navigation, sonar operation, photography, and dive planning.”

Since bacteria are currently eating away at the ship, this may be one of the last times to actually see the Titanic. Studies have suggested that the ship might be completely gone in 15 to 20 years.