Photo: Courtesy of NOAA/Institute for Exploration/University of Rhode Island (NOAA/IFE/URI)

You’ll Soon Be Able to Take Diving Tour of the Titanic Shipwreck

Outdoor News Diving Archaeology
by Eben Diskin Jun 7, 2018

When the Titanic was still on the high seas, you had to have pretty deep pockets to fully experience the vessel. Now, you might need even deeper pockets to visit its shipwreck. Blue Marble Private, a London-based travel company, is planning to offer diving trips to the wreck starting in 2019. Another travel company called The Bluefish is also planning Titanic dives for 2019. Blue Marble’s eight-day experience will set you back $105,129 per person, so if you’re looking for a nice budget vacation, this isn’t it.

Blue Marble claims that the price is equivalent (after inflation) to a First Class passenger ticket on the Titanic’s inaugural voyage back in 1912, which would have cost $4,350. So what exactly do you get for your money? You can expect three days of diving, with each dive lasting approximately three hours. You can look forward to the opportunity to spot bioluminescent creatures during the descent, and spend three hours exploring the remains of the 269-meter-long ship. You’ll also assist the crew aboard the expedition yacht, and in the submersible. Just because it’s a private, pricey experience, doesn’t mean they won’t put you to work!

Both tour companies are sensitive to the fact that the Titanic is a grave site, and not simply a tourist attraction. “The people who tend to want to go are very respectful,” said Bluefish founder and CEO Steve Sims. “And you can only do eight to nine civilians on a ship. So you’re not getting a bunch of giggling teenagers who are spending over $100,000 to go along and get selfies.” Bluefish and Blue Marble place a heavy focus on the trip’s scientific significance, and to assess the decay of the ship.

Indeed, these voyages could be one of your last chances to ever visit the Titanic. A study in 2016 claimed that “extremophile bacteria” could eat away the remainder of the shipwreck within the next 15 or 20 years. So take out a second mortgage, or put your child’s college education on hold, and start saving for that ticket.

H/T: CNN Travel

Discover Matador