Extreme Adventures – The TITAN Tragedy
Tourism that involves high-risk activities often in remote locations is categorised as Extreme Adventure Tourism. The danger to life that extreme tourism poses to participants provide thrilling travel experiences for participants. The challenges involved in such extreme adventures test your physical and mental limits. It is among the latest of experiential travel trends among the super rich.
All this while we knew of Hard Tourism. Hard adventure involves activities with high levels of risk, requiring intense commitment and advanced skills. Hard Tourism or Adventure Tourism includes the activities like mountaineering, rock/ice climbing, trekking through extreme conditions, caving, and more. However it has given way to Extreme Tourism where the hardships increase multiple times.
Extreme tourism focuses on experiences of individuals who engage in risky and challenging activities for the thrill of danger and the sense of accomplishment, sometimes at the cost of life. One such adventurer worth mentioning is: Jules Mountain who attempted to become the first person to fly a Bell 505 light helicopter across the Atlantic. His journey involved flying over freezing fog, icebergs, and forests, and he faced life-threatening situations such as low fuel and high altitude.
Extreme Adventures
Extreme Adventure Tourism Industry
The extreme tourism industry is a growing niche, with companies offering dangerous expeditions to the ultra-ULTRA RICH. In recent times, there has been an increase in high-net-worth individuals booking entire expeditions for private adventures.
OceanGate company has been carrying out deep-ocean expeditions since 2009. To their record they have over the years conducted more than 200 dives with its three submersible vessels in the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf of Mexico. Titan submersible was designed to go deeper than OceanGate’s other submersibles.
OceanGate organized trips to observe the wreckage of the Titanic using a manned submersible called Titan. Despite the high cost of these trips, and also fully aware of the vessel’s design and lack of industry certification there were takers.
Conditions Inside the Submersible Titan:
- Lack of Luxury: The interior of the submersible was not luxurious, emphasizing functionality over comfort.
- Considerable Risks: The dive into the depths carried significant dangers, emphasizing the challenging nature of the expedition.
- Mention of Death in Waiver: OceanGate’s waiver prominently highlighted the potential for death, underscoring the high-risk nature of the adventure trip.
- External Bolting: The submersible, named Titan, was bolted from the outside, which meant that occupants were reliant on external assistance to exit the submersible, even after surfacing.
- Finite Oxygen Supply: Occupants had access to only a limited amount of oxygen, adding to the sense of risk and uncertainty during the adventure travel.
- Modified Control System: The vessel’s control system was operated using a modified video game controller, showcasing the unconventional and experimental nature of the technology used in the submersible.
Logitech Gamepad F710 – pic by Wstomsk from Wikipedia
OceanGate’s Titanic expedition serves as an example of the balance between danger and appeal in extreme tourism. Despite the risks and challenging conditions inside the submersible, the inaccessibility and myth surrounding the Titanic wreck make the experience attractive to a select few adventurers.
TITAN – The recent disaster of extreme adventure travel
The craft, TITAN, was powered by four electric thrusters that move it at a maximum speed of 3 knots, lost contact with its surface vessel, the Polar Prince, around 105 minutes into a dive.
The five adventurous people in the craft were: Stockton Rush, president and founder of OceanGate, the submarine exploration company that operates the sub; pilot Paul Nargeolet; British billionaire Hamish Harding; and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Sulaiman.
The US Coast Guard believes all five adventurous passengers died following a catastrophic implosion.
(Interestingly, this incident and the subsequent rescue operations involved gave rise to debates whether taxpayers should bear the cost of search and rescue missions involving wealthy persons engaged in high-risk adventuring. What is your opinion on this?)
Extreme Adventures Travel Operators
Mountaineer Garrett Madison offers bespoke expeditions to unclimbed Himalayan peaks. The allure of danger and the exhilaration of facing risks are highlighted as attractive aspects of these experiences.
Luxury extreme tourism also exists, with companies like White Desert Antarctica offering premium accommodations near the South Pole. These experiences come at a steep price but provide comfort and opulence in extreme environments.
Emperor Penguin South Pole
Yet another exciting extreme travel adventure launched recently is The Céleste, a Luxury Space Capsule in which you can Travel to the Stratosphere and see the curvature of Mother earth from its large 3-meter-wide windows while sitting or reclining on spacious sofas, chatting over a drink or sharing a meal with your companion. French company Zephalto has this new landmark travel offering, Céleste, a ‘Luxury Space Capsule’ that is set to take small groups of guests 25 km into the stratosphere where they’ll be able to admire the curvature of the Earth.
You can book here – Book Now
Celeste – Luxury Space Capsule – Pic from https://www.zephalto.com/celeste
Why do people participate in Extreme Adventures?
Thrill-seeking entrepreneurs are shifting from seeking pleasure through luxury items to pursuing dangerous expeditions for a sense of purpose and fulfilment. While wealth redistribution still offers a sense of purpose, achieving pleasure has become more challenging over time.
Typically, the demographic for these extreme adventures consists of men in their fifties and sixties who are looking to experience a heightened sense of aliveness. The allure lies in pushing the boundaries and feeling a profound sense of vitality, often through facing death-defying situations.
Ego plays a role in this trend as well. As luxury products become more accessible to the general population, entrepreneurs, who are more willing to take risks, are increasingly seeking unique and exclusive experiences to set themselves apart. Having already accomplished significant business achievements, they now seek to challenge themselves personally.
These adventure experiences, like mountain climbing and ocean crossings, provide a way for billionaires, many of whom have amassed their wealth in the digital realm, to confront their physical limits and mortality.
Why do people participate in Extreme Adventures
Safety during Extreme Travel Adventures
Safety is emphasized as a crucial aspect of extreme adventures.
In 2018, during the quality-control phase of Titan’s development, alarms were sounded over safety matters. These concerns encompassed multiple facets, such as the experimental carbon-fiber hull structure of the 6.7m vessel—a departure from the conventional metal hulls seen in deep-diving submarines. Furthermore, the lack of industry certification added to the apprehensions surrounding the submersible’s readiness for such a daring venture.
Reports from previous passengers have highlighted additional issues encountered during the 12-hour round trips to the Titanic’s depths. Communication, navigation, and buoyancy too were cited as problem areas, underscoring the technical and operational challenges experienced by those who embarked on the expedition.
For mountaineering adventure go for operators that provide you a network of expert guides, logistical know-how, and teams that coach, assist, and lead adventurers 8,000 meters above sea level. All these with extra oxygen, good food, and enhanced communications to minimize risks matters a lot for safety for participants.
Those operators that offer a rudimentary service can get really dangerous. It can lead to life threatening situations for adventurers. You’re left on your own during such expeditions.
Extreme travel adventures
Future of Extreme Adventure Travels
Since the pandemic, there has been an increase in number of high-net-worth individuals booking out entire expeditions. “One client bought a whole trip to climb Mount Vinson in Antarctica for $200,000 last year,” says the Seattle-based mountaineer Garret Madison. “It’s the latest trend: billionaires wanting their own private adventure with friends; they fly to Antarctica in a private jet. It’s next-level.”
One example is Jules Mountain, who completed a transatlantic helicopter flight during the pandemic, defying restrictions. His journey exemplifies the drive and determination of entrepreneurs to push their limits and stand out from the crowd.
The recent tragedy involving the Titan submersible underscores the inherent risk associated with these extreme adventures. However, it’s precisely this element of danger that contributes to their appeal.
It is sad that five lives were lost during this TITAN expedition but I won’t be surprised if in future some people again indulge in this kind of adventure trip. The understanding that these challenges come with significant risks is part of what makes them attractive.
Cost of Extreme Adventures
Can you guess the cost of on such extreme travel adventure? A whole trip to fly to Antarctica and climb Mount Vinson in Antarctica is $200,000!!!
Mountain Expeditions: mountain expeditions by Madison are high-end. They are peppered with minimum comfort. The excursion can cost you $75,000.
A luxury extreme tourism to White Desert Antarctica offers premium accommodation near the South Pole for $15,000 a night. You get for yourself heated, opulently furnished pods and private chefs.
Will you do such an extreme adventure if someone funds your travel?
While I admire those who chase the thrill of danger and push their limits, I find contentment in a different kind of exploration. So, if faced with the offer of an extreme escapade, I would likely pass, knowing that my comfort zone is better suited to other, less heart-pounding pursuits.
Extreme experiences like that of the idea of facing freezing fog at dizzying altitudes, like Jules Mountain did over Greenland, or piloting a helicopter across the Atlantic in treacherous conditions, sends a shiver down my spine. The thought of braving the unpredictable depths of the ocean in a submersible, particularly one like Titan with its experimental carbon-fiber hull, seems like a leap into the unknown that my cautious nature can’t quite fathom.
My own extreme adventures combined with lots of fun were at:
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