Starting 2019, the public will have a rare opportunity to dive down to the shipwreck of the legendary Titanic which slipped beneath the icy waves of the Atlantic Ocean over a century ago.
A so-called Titanic Survey Expedition will be conducted by American company OceanGate which had previously planned to dive to the wreck site in May 2018. The trips have been put on hold due to weather conditions and rescheduled for 2019.
A trip onboard the Titanic was the ultimate in luxury travel back in 1912. Now, more than a century later, it still is. Tickets for the 11-day expeditions – which will leave from St. John’s, Newfoundland in Canada and fly to meet the Dive Support Ship at sea – will cost $105,129 per person. That’s approximately the equivalent of what a first class ticket to travel on board the Titanic would cost today.
Only nine ‘mission specialist’ crew positions are available on each of the six expeditions, which start on June 26, 2019. According to the company, four of the missions are already full, but limited spots are still available from July 25-August 4 and August 1-12.
Those who want to join should be over the age of 18; be able to board small boats in rough seas; demonstrate basic mobility, flexibility, and balance; and take part in a Helicopter Underwater Egress Training course.
“As a mission specialist you will join one submersible dive to the wreck site and assist the expedition crew in one or more support roles aboard the dive support ship and aboard Titan [formerly known as Cyclops 2, a five-person submersible designed to dive to depths of 4000 meters – Ed.] during your dive,” said the firm.
Interest in the 20th century's most famous maritime disaster has remained high since Robert Ballard and his team discovered the remains of Titanic almost 34 years ago.
The Titanic took just two hours and 40 minutes to sink after striking an iceberg on April 14, 1912, claiming the lives of 1,503 passengers and crew members. The vessel was on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York.
Specialists say the ship’s wreck is rapidly decaying and could soon be unrecognizable. A recently discovered “extremophile bacteria” could eat away what's left of the famous shipwreck within 15 or 20 years, according to a study.
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