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This article appears in print in the January 2020 issue. Click here to subscribe.

A local expedition company specializing in deep sea excursions is taking adventure seekers to new depths—12,800 feet beneath the Atlantic Ocean, to be exact. Everett-based OceanGate, known for creating Titan, the world’s only five-person submersible capable of diving 4,000 meters, is preparing to launch a series of dives to the sunken remains of the Titanic this summer. For $125,000, participants can traverse the ocean floor in the moving-van-size submarine’s cabin and marvel at what remains of one of the world’s most famous shipwrecks, out of the largest viewport of any deep-diving submersible.

OceanGate’s expeditions are open to civilians with sizable travel budgets, with space for nine “mission specialists” on each of the six Titanic dives. Mission specialists assist with navigation, documentation and other integral aspects of the dive, and must meet minimum requirements to participate, which include basic mobility and ability to adapt to changing situations. This isn’t a luxury cruise, explains OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush, who says the hands-on experience is more rewarding than a traditional, passive tourist role. “You don’t climb Everest thinking it’s a day hike, and you don’t go to the Titanic thinking you’re going to a Four Seasons.”