Nearly a year ago, the Titan submersible, en route to the Titanic wreckage, tragically imploded during its descent, resulting in the deaths of five people. Despite this, another billionaire is preparing to undertake the same perilous journey. According to The Wall Street Journal, Larry Connor, a real estate and tech billionaire from Ohio, along with Patrick Lahey, founder and CEO of Triton Submarines, plan to explore the Titanic wreckage 3,800 meters below sea level in the Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer.
The exact date of their voyage remains undisclosed, but the $20 million Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer boasts cutting-edge materials and technology. The Titan tragedy highlighted the dangers of the unregulated deep-sea tourism industry, sparking criticism over the extensive resources used in the search compared to the minimal response to a migrant boat sinking just days earlier.
Lahey and Connor express confidence in the safety of their submersible, which they claim is far more secure than the ill-fated Titan, which had long been plagued by safety concerns. “I want to show people worldwide that while the ocean is extremely powerful, it can be wonderful and enjoyable and really kind of life-changing if you go about it the right way,” Connor told the Journal.
The availability of such adventures is still being debated. Similar to space tourism, deep-sea tourism is highly costly and only within reach of the super-rich. As an example, OceanGate was asking $250,000 per person for trips to the Titanic wreck site before closing down due to disaster impacts. Triton Submarines, referred to by the Journal as one of the top manufacturers of private submersibles, caters to rich customers who have a keen interest in discovering what lies beneath oceans’ surfaces— with their wealth and aspirations both high.
Despite its appeal to many, deep-sea exploration continues to be an elitist field available only to individuals with large amounts of money. This situation underscores the larger issue on how technological and exploratory developments often favorably impact the rich only — thereby leaving the general public out as mere spectators — towards these high-stake gambles that they will not participate in.