Ocean And Space Are The Playground For The Rich: How OceanGate's Titanic Expedition Highlights Extreme Tourism

Privately owned ocean exploration company OceanGate Expedition's submersible vessel Titan vanished on its way to the Titanic wreckage, leaving five, including founder and CEO Stockton Rush, missing earlier this week.

A debris field was reportedly found within the search area near the Titanic, and the U.S Coast Guard will address the findings at a press conference at 3 PM ET Thursday.

With the submersible containing several high net-worth individuals, the general public brought to light the cost of the expedition: an eye-watering $250,000. This also brings into focus to other high-end extreme tours that wealthy thrill-seekers embark on.

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Here are a few of the other extreme tours that can be taken — for an extreme amount of money.

First, you should know about Dennis Tito — the world’s first space tourist.

Back in 2000, Tito, a then 60-year-old former NASA engineer turned investor, paid a staggering $20 million to Russia for the once-in-a-lifetime experience. He boarded a Soyuz spacecraft and spent a week on the International Space Station, seeing Earth from an exclusive vantage point few have seen.

Last year, the 82-year-old pioneer booked a ticket for another cosmic voyage. This time, Tito plans to embark on a trip around the moon on Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship.

Space Tourism: Another brand offering similarly high-priced adventures is Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc SPCE. The space tourism company owned by Richard Branson, which initially offered trips to the edge of space for $250,000, though the price rose to $450,000.

By 2021, around 700 people, including Musk, had reserved a spot on Virgin Galactic’s flights.

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin offered an 11-minute spaceflight, auctioning a ticket for $28 million.

Depths Of The Mariana Trench: Similar to OceanGate, and for a costlier sum of $750,000, EYOS Expeditions provides the opportunity to venture beyond the Titanic wreckage to the Challenger Deep, the deepest known point in the ocean.

Climbing Everest: Furtenbach Adventures’ “Everest Signature Expedition” costs around $218,400 for a three-week package. Despite the inherent risks, the company offers several provisions and unlimited oxygen to ensure the safety of its clients, according to Business Insider.

Antarctic Adventures: Lastly, expeditions around Antarctica can cost upwards of $30,000 per person. Intrepid Travel offers trips around the Antarctic Circle and the Drake Passage.

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Photo: Clockwise from top left: Via Virgin Galactic, EYOS, Blue Origin; Everest, Shutterstock