Submersible: Search Sunken Shipwrecks

Dive into a luxury vacation below the Mediterranean! Join Aurora Trust Foundation for a week, a non-for-profit organization, and their partners, for the adventure of a life time. Submerge yourself in the Mediterranean off the coast of Sicily to explore the sunken treasures of Ancient Rome and Greece. Don’t worry, you won’t spend the entire time in the state-of-the-art submersible, as lavish accommodations are provided. Choose to spend your above-sea time on a luxury yacht or the private island villa provided for explorers.

Aurora Trust Foundation has paired up with SubSea Explorers, a company experienced in marine-based archaeology expeditions, and U-Boat Worx, a Dutch submersible engineering company. Together, they are establishing a completely new and totally unique program for individuals to participate in an undersea expedition. Participants will not be tourists, but part of the crew – a member of the three man team that makes up the vessel. You’ll work alongside the pilot and an archaeologist, inside the private submersible, the C-Explorer 3.

C-Explorer 3 Submerisble by U-Boat Worx

The C-Explorer 3 is a mini sub, with the capacity for three. This leading edge submersible is air-conditioned, sophisticated, and luxurious. The dome provides a 360 view of the underwater world around the vessel, offering opportunity for extraordinary sights, photos and documentation of the ancient Roman shipwrecks. You’ll be accompanied by an expert submersible pilot and an accomplished marine archaeologist for three subaquatic missions. On those missions, the crew will work together to solve the mysteries of the sunken ships. Ian Koblick, co-founder of Aurora Trust Foundation says,

“This is a real bucket-list adventure. You will become and authentic explorer and one of the first persons in 2,000 years to lay eyes on these ancient Roman shipwrecks.”

There is a sunken graveyard of ships in the waters around the Italian Aeolian Islands. It has been about 2,000 years since these ships have been disturbed by people. Modern technology, along with hard work and true dedication, helped discover the three Roman ships wrecked near the island of Panarea. Panarea is part of the volcanic arc of the Aeolian Islands. Despite the deterioration of the wooden boats, over all this time, the cargo is surprisingly unharmed! Some of the amphora and artifacts will be removed from the ocean bottom to be displayed in local exhibits, under Sicilian government supervision. Koblick and his team have worked hard for over 10 years, exploring and building relationships with governments and individuals all over the world. It is because of this dedication and hard-earned rapport that makes this program a possibility.

$20,000 a person is the cost for this singular submersed experience. All food, beverage, and accommodations are included. If you choose to stay at the island villas, specially leased for explorers, you be right by the sub home base. On arrival, you’ll be picked up from the airport and taken to a ferry, which will ultimately deliver you to the island. The islands are home to many divine gourmet restaurants, serving local cuisine and Mediterranean specialties. Most of the meals will be served at one of the islands’ delicious establishments. Lunches are provided on the submersible, on days spent undersea, while breakfast is available at the villa. The options are fairly similar if you choose to stay aboard the 40 meter, 5-star luxury yacht, you’ll just be spending more time out at sea.

The program is comprised of only 8 missions, running June 20 through August 21, 2015. That’s only one person a week (eight people)! For more information about the program, head over to the SubSea Explorers website, or checkout the brochure. You can visit the U-Boat Worx site to see all the crazy submersibles they’ve designed, or get the know what the Aurora Trust Foundation is all about on theirs. Jim Dobson covers this story over at Forbes Life; read his article for more. Would you go diving underwater in a submersible? Let us know what you think in the comments section! Like, rate, and share if you enjoyed this article.