Space, deep sea, sharks and more: What's on the bucket list of billionaires seeking extreme adventure?

All five men aboard the Titanic expedition sub are believed to be dead, according to the US Coast Guard and the company operating the vessel. The submersible, which lost contact on Sunday, was carrying a Dubai-based British billionaire and a father-son duo, who belonged to one of Pakistan’s most prominent families, among others to the Titanic shipwreck in the Atlantic.

The Titanic sub expedition is, of course, dangerous and costly. One has to pay around Dh918,250 (USD 250,000) for a seat on the vessel. But that's no deterrant for thrill-seeking wealthy individuals. But what makes rich people gravitate towards thrilling activities that involve risk? According to psychologist Dr Scott Lyons, who has some of the world’s wealthiest people as his clients, the rich seek a “sense of aliveness” in such adventures when there is “safety in parts of their life like finances”. He told the Daily Mail that new technologies have made it possible for wealthy individuals to chase dangerous thrills.

“People will do more thrill-seeking if they're susceptible to boredom. As you get more extravagant in life, things become less exciting. You're looking for the novelties of life as things become so available to you,” Dr Lyons added.

Here's a list of some adventure activities and expeditions that feature on the bucket list of millionaires.

OceanGate Titanic expedition

The Titanic Expedition, organised by OceanGate Expeditions, is a crewed trip to explore the wreck of the RMS Titanic in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. According to the company’s website, “qualified explorers” can join the expedition as Mission Specialist crewmembers. An individual has to pay $250,000 for a seat aboard Titan, the submarine which takes explorers 12,500 ft down the ocean to the shipwreck site.

The entire Titanic expedition is of 10 days, including eight days at sea, and has five mission legs. The trip begins from St John’s City in Newfoundland, Canada. A mothership carries the submersible from St John’s to a point at the sea after which Titan dives into the ocean with the crew.

The company stated that the Titanic expedition is conducted in accordance with NOAA guidelines and UNESCO guidelines for the preservation of underwater world heritage sites.

Blue Origin spaceflight

Founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the Blue Origin company offers a trip to space on its New Shepard rocket. Not just astronauts, but anyone can pay and go to space for a unique zero-gravity experience. In 2021, the very first seat on the New Shepard was sold for $28 million (Dh102,844,000) to then-18-year-old Oliver Daemen, who became the youngest person to travel to space.

The New Shepard rocket can accommodate six astronauts in a pressurised cabin with climate control. Each passenger gets a window seat, which offers spectacular views of the Earth from space. The spaceflight lasts for 11 minutes where the crew travels three times the speed of sound to cross the Kármán Line. After that, the passengers experience weightlessness for several minutes before the rocket comes back to Earth using parachutes.

Before being launched into space, passengers undergo training for two days where they “meet the rocket up close, experience missions in the capsule simulator, and learn about safety and zero-g protocols”.

Cage-diving with sharks

Cage-diving is another activity that pleases those seeking an adrenaline rush. It involves entering a metal cage, which is then dropped into the ocean infested with ferocious sharks. The activity is offered at several places around the world. Some of the popular destinations for shark cage diving include the Isla Guadalupe island in Mexico, Shark Alley in South Africa, Florida and Farallon Islands in the US, and Australia’s Neptune Islands, among others. The Florida Shark Diving charges $250 (Dh918) for a full or half day of cage diving with sharks while one has to pay R1,500 (Dh300) to enjoy the activity at Great White Shark Tours in South Africa

A trip to Mount Everest

A mountaineer named Garett Madison takes tourists to the top of the world’s tallest mountain for a fee. He charges up to $93,500 (Dh343,428) from the guests for a climb of Mount Everest with facilities like gas-powered showers and meals prepared by world-class chefs atop Mount Everest. The trip takes 41 days and begins after the tourists arrive in Kathmandu, Nepal. However, the trip can get extended in case of bad weather.

Exploring Antarctica

Polar explorer Patrick Woodhead co-founded White Desert Antarctica to provide luxury trips to the South Pole. The company has different expedition packages that can go up to $105,000 (Dh385,668). Tourists can enjoy amenities like private charter flights, luxury camps, and watching the Emperor penguins at the lowest point on Earth.

White Desert Antarctica also offers glamping and lets customers stay in Echo camps which are six sky pods surrounded by rock formations in Antarctica. It has a space-age design with futuristic and luxurious facilities.

Getting lost in remote locations

Travel company Black Tomato provides “Get Lost” trips that take you to unknown and uncharted destinations. The customers can suggest the terrain and environment where they want to get lost but the destination is not disclosed to them. The service is available all over the world and customers can fly to some of the remotest places like jungle, deserts, polar regions or mountains.

The cost of the trip depends upon “how lost you want to get”, according to the company. However, the average charges range from £15,000 (Dh 70,423) to £100,000 (Dh469,487).

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