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ZEGRAHM & ECO EXPEDITIONS — Giving You The World 1-800-628-8747 or 206-285-4000 |
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Home > Press Release |
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Press Release |
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For Immediate ReleaseAdventure Travelers Explore Famous Shipwrecks with Zegrahm ExpeditionsSEATTLE, WA — They sleep in the mysterious depths miles beneath the surface of the cold Atlantic or lie in warm waters a few feet down, their rusting hulks home to blue starfish, darting barracuda and colorful jungles of coral. Some have been sought for years before discovery; others have never been found. They are shipwrecks, monuments of the sea, their watery existence a testament to war, foul weather and folly. Whales have studied them, as have bottom fish, scuttling crabs and a few lucky scientists. Now adventure travelers can view these elusive undersea wonders as well, with Zegrahm Expeditions. For the truly intrepid adventurer, Zegrahm DeepSea Voyages offers Operation Titanic, an undersea voyage to the most famous shipwreck in the world. This exciting expedition will take place in the North Atlantic aboard the high-tech, $25 million submersibles, MIR I and II, the same deep-diving submersibles used by James Cameron in his blockbuster movie, Titanic. Zegrahm will operate two 12-day expeditions, departing August 19 and 29, 2000. The expeditions commence in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, aboard the "mother ship" Akademik Keldysh, a Russian scientific research vessel. After sailing 368 miles SE, the Keldysh arrives at the dive site. Participants will board the safe, highly sophisticated submersibles to descend at a rate of 100 feet per minute. Once they reach the ocean floor, the MIRs, which dive in tandem, will spend approximately 5 hours exploring the wreck site. Passengers can expect remarkable views of the Titanic's bow, as well as the bridge, officers' quarters, propeller, staircases and mile-long debris field, considered to be the most memorable. No salvaging will take place. Price for this adventure is US $35,500 per person, which includes first-class meals and private accommodations. In addition to cold water submersible voyages, Zegrahm Expeditions offers a chance to view and even touch other shipwrecks in the warm waters of the South Pacific, the site of many fierce naval battles during World War II. Iron Bottom Sound off Guadalcanal Island is named for the large numbers of Japanese and American wartime vessels which lie beneath these normally placid seas of the Solomon Islands. Zegrahm's Faces of Melanesia expedition, offered October 13 – 30, 2000, will visit this historic site. Also on the Melanesian itinerary is a visit to Espiritu Santo Island, Vanuatu (formerly known as the New Hebrides), home to the world's largest accessible wreck dive, the USS President Coolidge. This 22,000-ton luxury liner converted to troop ship sank fully-laden during the war. Scuba divers will have opportunity to explore the guns, helmets, gas masks and other military trappings left helter-skelter aboard this shipwreck, now colonized by a beautiful tapestry of coral and darting tropical fish. Price for this South Sea adventure, which includes four days in Papua New Guinea, five days in the Solomons, and additional time in Vanuatu and New Caledonia, begins at US $7,990 per person. Historic shipwrecks from WWII, as well as from earlier times, will be featured during Zegrahm's Islands of Diversity expedition through the Philippines offered March 31 – April 15, 2001. Here, in Subic Bay, lie at least 30 found shipwrecks, dating from the Spanish era through WWII, including the scuttled USS New York and the freighter El Capitan, both alive with coral, sponges, triggerfish, lionfish and the occasional inquisitive squid. Price for this adventure, highlights of which include northern Sulawesi, Mindanao, Bislig, and Bohol, home to the mysterious Chocolate Hills, begins at US $7,990 per person. As with all Zegrahm programs, leading marine biologists, historians and naturalists will be on hand to lecture on the local habitat, natural history, and fascinating tales regarding the shipwrecks in the areas visited. Note to editors: Artwork available upon request. |
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