Deep-sea tourism
Deep-sea tourism involves exploring underwater locations at depths of at least 1,000 fathoms, or over 1 mile, using submarines and advanced diving technology. While interest in the deep sea dates back centuries, it wasn't until the 1930s that technology permitted professional divers to reach significant depths, and the early 2010s marked the beginning of expeditions for non-professional tourists. The industry gained traction with the development of reusable submersibles, like the DSV Limiting Factor, which facilitated commercial tourism by enabling safe and repeat dives to the ocean floor. Deep-sea tourism offers a unique experience for participants, who are often motivated by a mix of adventure, curiosity, and scientific interest, despite the high costs associated with such expeditions.
However, safety concerns loom large in this emerging field. The tragic implosion of the OceanGate Titan submersible in June 2023, which resulted in the loss of all five aboard during a dive to the Titanic wreck, raised critical questions about regulatory oversight and the future of the industry. Despite these challenges, many experts believe that deep-sea tourism will continue to grow, driven by advancements in technology and a persistent human fascination with exploring the uncharted depths of our oceans. Additionally, this form of tourism may promote awareness of the importance of ocean conservation, as it highlights the need to protect the vast marine ecosystems that remain largely unexplored.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Deep-sea tourism
Deep-sea tourism refers to exploration and visits to deep underwater ocean locations—at least 1,000 fathoms, or more than 1 mile (1,800 meters) below the surface—by means of submarines or other advanced diving equipment. While the phenomenon has roots in the late 1800s, it was 1930 before technology existed that allowed professional divers to reach near the ocean floor and the early 2010s before companies started developing equipment and companies to take non-professionals on sightseeing expeditions into the deep. Cost and availability of vessels limited the number of such expeditions. The first major disaster during a deep-sea tourism expedition—the June 2023 implosion of the OceanGate Titan submersible that was to visit the Titanic wreck—raised questions about the future of the industry.
Background
About 70 percent of Earth’s surface is under ocean water. People have long been curious about what is below these waters. Measurements and explorations that were limited by available equipment were recorded by explorers beginning in the 1500s. Between 1872 and 1876, Scottish marine biologist and oceanographer Charles Wyville Thomson (1830–82) led the famous HMS Challenger expedition, the first deep-sea exploration. The Challenger expedition discovered many previously unknown life forms near the ocean floor while operating near the surface. It was 1930 before American engineer Otis Barton (1899–1992) and naturalist William Beebe (1877–1962) became the first people to visit the deep sea in the bathysphere, a diving vessel designed by Barton.
In 1960, Swiss oceanographer and engineer Jacques Piccard (1922–2008) and American oceanographer Don Walsh (1931–2023) reached the deepest part of the ocean, Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, which is 10,740 meters, or 6.67 miles below sea level. They traveled there in the vessel Trieste on an expedition funded by the US Navy. In 2012, film director James Cameron—who wrote and directed the 1997 blockbuster Titanic, among other popular films—became the first person to make a solo dive to Challenger Deep in the Deepsea Challenger vessel. However, both deep-sea vessels were damaged during their dives and could not be reused.
Overview
In 2018, the first sub that survived repeated deep-sea dives to the ocean floor was launched. Reusability was a key factor in making deep-sea tourism realistic. The vehicle that accomplished this, the deep submergence vehicle (DSV) Limiting Factor, was built by Triton Submarines LLC. The two-passenger, titanium-hulled vehicle reached the deepest part of all five oceans, becoming the first crewed vehicle to do so. Some of the passengers on these dives were the first travelers to pay to travel on the subs, making them the first deep-sea tourists to reach the ocean bottom. Limiting Factor was subsequently sold to a company that used it exclusively for research.
When Limiting Factor was launched, other companies were already offering tourism dives to lesser depths. The most general definition of deep sea is the point where light from the sun no longer penetrates the water, which begins at about 200 meters, or 656 feet. At this depth, temperatures drop to 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit) and pressure is greatly increased. At 2,000 meters—less than 20 percent of the distance to the Mariana Trench—the pressure is two hundred times the pressure on land at sea level. Some of the half-dozen deep-sea tourism companies that existed around the time of the Limiting Factor launch confined their dives to about 1,000 meters, or about six-tenths of a mile. Others lowered aquanauts in special pressurized suits tethered to a ship and connected to an oxygen supply to lesser depths just below the upper limits of the deep sea, where they explored on foot. Such exploration grew in popularity as a way average people could experience a great adventure.
Humans have long been fascinated with exploring the unknown. Outer space and the deep sea are the two major underexplored frontiers. The sea life at deep-sea depths is different than anything most people experience. Many deep-sea tourists cite excitement and the exclusivity of the experience as part of the draw, though some also have a genuine scientific interest. The expeditions offered by these companies are expensive—often hundreds or thousands of dollars for an experience of about an hour—but accessible for some as a once-in-a lifetime experience. Some exclusive resorts even began offering package deals that included one or more nights at an exotic location along with an opportunity to go deep below the sea.
The main issue with deep-sea tourism is safety. Pressure increases by one atmosphere for every 10 meters, or 33 feet, of depth. An atmosphere adds 14.7 pounds (6.668 kilograms) of pressure per square inch (2.5 square centimeters). Experts say pressure at the deepest part of the ocean is like sitting under fifty airplanes. Some experts believe that space travel is in some ways safer than undersea travel because the launch technology needed restricts the number of people that can attempt it, while it is easier to launch a submersible. For example, some deep-sea exploration companies build their own submersibles, including some who use methods and materials that raise questions from deep-sea submersible experts. Some experts have raised concerns that the industry has grown faster than regulations to govern and oversee it.
The safety issue in deep-sea tourism was brought under public scrutiny in June 2023 when the OceanGate submersible Titan went missing with five people aboard on a dive to see the wreck of the Titanic. After an intensive search, it was revealed that Titan had imploded shortly after launch, with the loss of all aboard. OceanGate began its Titanic tourism dives in 2022, at a cost of some $250,000 per passenger. The Titan loss was the first major tragedy in the deep-sea tourism industry, and its impact on deep-sea tourism remained to be seen. However, some noted that the loss of astronauts during the Moon race of the 1960s and the loss of space shuttle crews did not stop space exploration or the industry of space tourism. The Titan incident also brought to light the lack of regulations in underwater tourism, as critics called for increased oversight and adherence to industry standards among deep-sea tourism companies like the now-defunct OceanGate.
While experts have differing views on the future of deep-sea tourism, most expect it to grow. The industry began having conferences in 2019, with the first Space and Underwater Tourism Universal Summit in Marabella, Spain. Technology continues to improve and become more affordable, and most experts think that the human fascination with exploration will continue. They also point to the fact that in addition to the personal satisfaction people get from these tours, deep-sea tourism also draws attention to the need to protect and preserve the oceans that cover the majority of the planet.
Bibliography
Almeida, Margarida. “Why Underwater and Deep-Sea Tourism Are Increasingly Popular.” Travel Tomorrow, 29 June 2023, traveltomorrow.com/why-underwater-and-deep-sea-tourism-are-increasingly-popular/. Accessed 20 July 2023.
Gillespie, Alexandra. “Space Travel and Deep-Ocean Exploration Are Becoming More Accessible.” Outside Online, 25 Sept. 2023, www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/news-analysis/space-travel-deep-sea-tourism/. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
Johanson, Mark. “Deep Sea Tourism: The Race to the Bottom of the Ocean.” Men’s Journal, 4 Jan. 2017, www.mensjournal.com/adventure/deep-sea-tourism-the-race-to-the-bottom-of-the-ocean-20150626#gid=ci02b8d0d880042605&pid=substation-curaao. Accessed 20 July 2023.
Lemmin-Woolfrey, Ulrike. “How Underwater and Deep-Sea Tourism Became so Popular.” BBC Travel, 20 June 2023, www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230620-how-underwater-and-deep-sea-tourism-became-so-popular. Accessed 20 June 2023.
Logan, Nick. “What Does the Titan Disaster Mean for Deep-Sea Tourism? Explorers Weigh In.” CBC News, 24 June 2023, www.cbc.ca/news/world/titan-deep-sea-tourism-1.6887462. Accessed 20 July 2023.
Sack, Harold. “Charles Wyville Thomson and the Challenger Expedition.” SciHiBlog, scihi.org/charles-wyville-thomson/. Accessed 20 July 2023.
Treisman, Rachel. "A Year After the Titan Submersible Implosion, Investigators Still Don't Have Answers." NPR, 18 June 2024, www.npr.org/2024/06/18/nx-s1-5008649/titan-submersible-implosion-anniversary-titanic. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
Waller, Rhian, and Tim Shank. “Deep Sea Biology.” Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, divediscover.whoi.edu/hot-topics/deepsea/. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
Wattles, Jackie, et al. “What We Know About the Ocean’s Depths—and Why It’s So Risky to Explore It.” CNN, 23 June 2023, www.cnn.com/2023/06/21/world/ocean-exploration-explainer-missing-titanic-sub-scn/index.html. Accessed 20 July 2023.