Shipwrecks can teach us a lot. But the submersible incident is a warning

Subject : Geography

Section: Places in news

Context:

The Titan, belonging to the private company OceanGate Expeditions, had taken the tourists to the wreck of the RMS Titanic in the waters of the North Atlantic.
Contact with the Titan was lost one hour and 45 minutes into its dive on the afternoon of June 18, 2023, according to the US Coast Guard.

Wreck tourism in India:

Wreck tourism in India mostly took place in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Goa, off Visakhapatnam and Lakshadweep.
India’s maritime history was 5,000 years-old and details on ancient or historical period shipwrecks were very inadequate.
The recorded shipwreck history of India starts from the European period onwards.
Since the initiation of shipwreck studies in Indian waters shipwrecks have been explored in (Sunchi Reef, St George’s Reef, Amee Shoals, SailRock, Grande Island) off Goa, (four in Minicoy Island and one in Suheli Par) off Lakshadweep Islands, and one each off Poompuhar and Konark in Tamil Nadu and Odisha waters respectively.
There are plenty of references in the literature about shipwrecks. But their exact locations are not known.
Most shipwrecks are discovered globally by fishers who usually come across items from a wreck in their nets.
The other way can be if industrial organisations carry out a survey of the seafloor and may stumble across a wreck sometimes.
Medieval shipwrecks may help in the understanding of history and the actual mechanics of trade.
There is a very strong case for systematic archaeology along the entirety of India’s coast.

Limitations:

Shipwreck tourism is very limited in India because India is a tropical country. Because of the monsoon and wind currents, such tourism usually happens only for 2-3 months.
The cost is very high so only a few can afford it.
Very limited research on shipwrecks.
No dedicated organisation for shipwreck studies.