People are perfectly happy to accept some risk. However you can’t expect normal people to take on extreme risk and expect a profitable long term business.
If the actual risk are close to BASE jumping then you’ve failed.
If the actual risk are close to BASE jumping then you’ve failed.
The myriad BASE jumping businesses would probably like a word. Risk tolerance varies.
Adventure trips like Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, and these OceanGate tours are passive experiences. Exhilarating, but you're not really expected to have any skill or do anything. I think a better analogy would be African Safaris - exotic, exclusive, and extremely expensive "adventures" for the wealthy. There's a powerful illusion of danger, but no one buying a package actually thinks there's a real chance they won't come home.
If these ultra-expensive, high-tech space and deep-sea adventures don't turn out to be as safe as, say, theme park rides, I wonder if there will be enough wealthy, risk-seeking adrenaline junkies to keep them in business.
If a tour to the Titanic could be sold in a holiday package deal you're going to get people who don't understand the risks.
You do see it in holiday scuba diving destinations, where people are led to believe it is perfectly safe, and it's marketed to everyone. The reality of a dive is that you are just a couple of mistakes away from fatal consequences and the dive masters must know that as they strap a bottle onto a newbie and send 8 of them down at once.
Anyway, although fewer than 1000 people summit Everest each year, 500 people per day reach Everest Base Camp, so there's plenty of room for profits.
That’s a tiny market, and yes companies do get involved but it’s not the sole source of income for any significant business.
If your business model is running a cruise ship where a few people take extreme risks and 98% are doing a normal holiday then sure that’s reasonable. Building a business on 3k customers/ year worldwide might survive but it’s lucky to make the same money as a single decent restaurant location.
I can understand the attraction of e.g. wingsuits, because the idea of flying like a bird is compelling, even if I would never risk my own life to do it. Although there’s definitely more than a few wingsuit jumpers who are doing it specifically to dice with Death e.g. proximity flying.
https://youtu.be/TTICP6m-FyY?t=594
^ THAT is why I do it. Also I spent about 2 years in initial training and continue to train every time I dive. Our goal is to drive the risk to 0 which isn't reality but I feel less safe driving to some of the caves than I do diving them.
That said, it does require a lot of training and certification, and people need to maintain that training and their gear. It not so much that kicking up a little dirt will kill you (it generally won't), but that a combination of complacency, stress and panic will kill you. In that it is again similar to driving in that in generally it is not the car or even the highway speeds that kills people, but rather complacency and a lack of attention to the road and traffic. Random tire explosion on the highway is a real risk, but even that is usually a lack of attention to maintenance.
Some "experience" operators:
Plenty of "course" operators too:
https://www.snakeriverbase.com
https://www.moabbaseassociation.us/insurance
https://www.globalrescue.com/common/blog/detail/is-base-jump... — "You’re certainly welcome to go BASE jumping under a Global Rescue travel protection membership as we have no altitude or activity restrictions."
What I did find is that BASE jumping is apparently often illegal (but definitely not everywhere per se), that everyone who did it can claim a “number”, and that 2000 numbers total have been claimed since 1981.
I’m not saying you’re wrong, I know next to nothing about BASE jumping. I’m curious what companies offer it commercially as an activity, and if that’s really widespread.
I just remember watching a documentary once, saying how crazy and uncommon it is.
The only place I know of where it's specifically illegal is US national parks (only national parks — you're fine in Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service territories).
Of course, if you have to trespass to make the jump, that's itself illegal, but that has nothing to do with BASE jumping.
But I short-circuit trying to figure which is more stupid, visiting Everest or Titanic.
People want an "adventure" and to learn useful things about themselves? Okay train to run a marathon. Now train to run it faster.
I can kind of see the appeal of Everest from a mountain climbing point of view, but I think I'd go and do one of the peaks without rush hour queues. So what if it's the 2nd/3rd/4th highest.
Swimming is a bit better if one want to a lower-risk sport.
People take extreme risks every day riding in cars; high stake, low odds.
But yeah, if the TAM of Titanic tourism is anything close to BASE jumping, that’s a gold mine. Tens of thousands of people a year? Good business.