Visit the Titanic wreck - a tour for the rich who love adventure

Each tourist must pay $250,000 to sit in a submersible "not licensed by any governing body" to see the Titanic wreck.

The Titan, operated by OceanGate Expeditions and offering tours of the Titanic wreck, began its dive into the Atlantic Ocean early on June 18 and lost contact with the ship on the surface less than two hours later. A rescue team was dispatched to search for it.

In 2022, CBS reporter David Pouge ventured aboard the Titan to see the Titanic underwater. As part of the tour, he had to sign a waiver to waive any legal action if anything went wrong during the trip. David said the submersible was only “experimental” and “not licensed by any regulatory agency.”

The boat is operated by a single circular button that turns from red to green when activated. “It’s like an elevator and doesn’t require much skill,” OceanGate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush explained to David.

Titan submarine. Photo: OceanGate Expeditions — Titan submersible. Photo: *OceanGate Expeditions*

According to Forbes , OceanGate Expeditions is an ocean exploration company founded in 2009 with a fleet of submersibles that offer tourists unique deep-sea experiences. The Titan can dive nearly 4,000 meters deep, carrying up to five people at a time to the Titanic wreck off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

The Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg in 1912, killing 1,514 of the 2,224 people on board. The Titanic was found in 1985 at a depth of nearly 4,000 meters, about 600 kilometers from Newfoundland. Since then, many scientists and professional expeditions have approached the area.

The tour, which includes both the dive and the resurfacing, lasts about eight hours. The tour costs $250,000 per person and takes 10 days, eight of which are spent at sea. Titan will be taken to the Titanic wreck site by another ship from St John's, Newfoundland.

Titan weighs about 10,000 kg, is nearly 7 m long, nearly 3 m wide and 2.5 m high. The ship can carry a payload of 685 kg and has only one window so that visitors can see the Titanic's body. It can travel at a speed of 3 knots (5.5 km/h), and can operate in many different seas.

The tour company says a series of sensors and other technology on board help monitor internal pressure during dives. The ship also has a system that provides early warning detection, giving the crew enough time to safely return to the surface. Doug Elsey, CEO of the Canadian Association of Diving Contractors, says the ship has equipment that can help determine its location underwater. “So you know where it is,” Elsey says. When the ship loses signal, authorities will begin searching.

In an emergency, the ship's oxygen supply is enough to sustain five people for 96 hours. Currently, authorities say the missing ship's oxygen supply is only enough for 70 hours.

OceanGate Expeditions successfully approached the Titanic wreck for the first time in 2021, after several trials since 2017. In 2021-2022, the supplier said, “the ship has conducted several successful expeditions.” The company plans to conduct 18 dive tours to the wreck starting this summer.

Hamish Harding is believed to be one of five people on board the missing Titan. Photo: Reuters — Hamish Harding is believed to be one of five people on board the missing Titan. Photo: *Reuters*

One of the passengers missing today is British businessman and billionaire Hamish Harding. In a post on his personal page on June 18, Harding said that "this expedition is likely to be the first and only trip to the Titanic wreck in 2023."

Anh Minh (According to Forbes, CBC )

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