What would you say to a $60,000, two-week cruise that leaves from St. John’s, Newfoundland, offers expert lectures, ‘five-star cuisine,’ and entices you with a two and a half hour dive in a submersible? At least eighty people have said “yes” and paid up in order to view the Titanic remains. The centennial anniversary is April 15th and, while this cruise might sound a little extreme, for Titanic fans “no price or privation is too great.”
Deep Ocean Expeditions is the company that has been operating the dives and they’re saying that “this coming season may be your last chance.” The company is planning on terminating the tours to the dismay of numerous Titanic devotees (maybe now is the time to go ahead and get that travel and tourism degree you were thinking about).
While the dives can be risky and are controversial, passengers continue to shell out big bucks for glimpses out of five inch portholes to see the wreck. Scientists are concerned about the ship getting damaged from all of the visitors planning to visit the site on the 100th anniversary of the sinking. James P. Delgado, director of maritime heritage at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, wants “a basic agreement” that would create rules to safeguard the Titanic.
Unfortunately, the gravesite is already littered with garbage from passing cruise ships. “Dumping trash and leaving behind equipment” shouldn’t be happening says Dr. Delgado. The Titanic is still popular today because of what it represented. It was a technological advance that seemed as if it would defy nature and people continue to be intrigued by the tale.
The wreck has deteriorated from its once pristine condition but dives continue to intrigue people. The number of cruises to the site have jumped up from two to four with a fifth being considered. The prices have escalated from around $32,000 in 1998 to nearly $60,000 today and are attributed to inflation and escalating fuel costs.
The company, who runs the exhibitions to see the Titanic, says many of its customers are “a mixed clientele that runs from the superwealthy to people of lesser means.” There you have it. Titanic devotees and movie lovers, you have another option. Pay the price and see the remains in person. Join Ms. Rojas, a banker, Titanic fan, and diver, who says, if she could, she ‘would stay there for days.’