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This undated photo provided by OceanGate Expeditions in June 2021 shows the company's Titan submersible. OceanGate Expeditions/AP
Only a handful of people have seen the Titanic’s wreckage in person, because precious few have what it takes to visit: the financial resources, access to experts – and a willingness to accept the significant safety risk.
But for those willing to shell out, tourism and research company OceanGate Expeditions offered eight-day missions that cost $250,000 per person and allow customers to explore the Titanic more than 13,000 feet below the ocean’s surface using five-seat carbon fiber and titanium underwater vessels. Based in Everett, Washington, the company was founded in 2009 by aerospace engineer Stockton Rush, who is also aboard the submersible, according to a source with knowledge of the mission plan.
Extreme tourism has become a growing trend among thrill-seekers looking for an adrenaline rush, pushing the boundaries of conventional travel and, sometimes, of safe travel.
But this ultra-luxury excursion also poses a regulatory challenge. The missing Titan submersible is not subject to government regulations from independent groups that set safety standards because the technology is so new and hasn’t yet been reviewed, the tour operator claims.
“However, this does not mean that OceanGate doesn’t meet standards where they apply, but it does mean that innovation often falls outside of the existing industry paradigm,” said the company in a 2019 post on its website.
It added that organizations can take years to review and approve new standards, and that other OceanGate vessels do have approved classing.
On a November 2022 “Unsung Science” podcast hosted by CBS correspondent David Pogue, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush said exploration comes with innate risk.
“At some point, safety just is pure waste. I mean, if you just want to be safe, don’t get out of bed,” he said. “Don’t get in your car. Don’t do anything. At some point, you’re going to take some risk, and it really is a risk/reward question. I think I can do this just as safely by breaking the rules.”