You Can Now Visit The Wreck Of The Titanic — For A Huge Price

 For the first time since 2012, History.com reports, civilian tourists will soon be able to visit the remains of the ship 2.5 miles below the surface of the North Atlantic, about 400 miles east of Newfoundland.

Back in 2012, 20 tourists paid $59,000 each to visit the remains of the Titanic 2.5 miles below the surface of the North Atlantic, about 400 miles east of Newfoundland. That was supposed to be the last time that 'tourist' would ever be allowed to visit, but History.com recently reported that Blue Marble Private will launch new tourist expeditions in May 2018. This time, the tours will cost a whopping $105,129 per person.

The fee will buy visitors a week-long chance to explore the wreckage via diving and submersible alongside research specialists. And make no mistake, research is the name of the game here. The high tourist fees will hopefully help fund photographic preservation efforts before the wreckage site soon disappears forever.

Below: The bow of the Titanic as photographed in 2004.

Now more than ever, the Titanic must be photogrpahed as much as possible, for it will likely be gone, experts estimate, within the next 20 years.

But before the ship finally disappears thanks to the rust-eating bacteria H. titanicae (named for the ship), researchers hope to exhaustively photograph the wreckage enough create a photographic 3D model.

The revenue from the tourist visits, which will be done annually starting in 2018, should go a long way in bringing these photography projects to completion.

Visitors must follow all of the guidelines established by UNESCO and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in order to preserve the site for as long as possible.

Rust-eating bacteria aside, the dearth of visitors has likely helped the Titanic as in tact as it has for as long as it has. Since oceanographer Robert Ballard first discovered the wreckage in 1985, it’s estimated that fewer than 200 people have ever visited the site.

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