A terrifying video has shown how tourists get dropped off to stay at the “most dangerous hotel in the world”, where even medical help is far away.
For most people, a vacation involves rest and relaxation in some lavish accommodation, where your every need is catered for.
However, some people decide to do the exact opposite of that, and choose to stay in possibly the most stressful circumstances they can find – and pay handsomely for the dubious privilege.
Thrill-seeking holidaymakers are spending thousands of dollars to stay in a remote hotel in a decommissioned US Coast Guard light station located 34 miles off the coast of North Carolina.
Frying Pan Tower is miles away from land. Credit: TikTok/CaptainAustinsFishing
The light station, named Frying Pan Tower, was constructed in 1964 to warn ships of dangerously shallow waters in the “Graveyard of the Atlantic”. However, advancements in GPS technology rendered it obsolete by the 2000s, and it was decommissioned in 2004.
The structure was bought in 2010 by an independent buyer, Richard Neal, who was joined by a team of volunteers in turning it into a nonprofit, as well as providing the opportunity for people to partake in a truly unique getaway in the middle of the ocean.
Charter boat captain Austin Aycock took to TikTok to share a glimpse at how people get dropped off to the steel tower, which stands 80 feet above the shark infested waters.
Those with a fear of water obviously need not apply, as the first stage of the journey requires being taken out on a small boat to the tower, before beginning the ascent to the platform.
A fear of heights is also not ideal, as guests are then winched up on ropes on a high-speed lift that hauls them 80 feet into the air in under a minute to the platform – which looks hair-raising enough.
That’s without mentioning that the waters below are full of sharks, and that the tower sits in the middle of hurricane alley and is regularly battered by tropical storms with wind speeds over 100MPH.
Guests are then left in the middle of the ocean until they are picked up “in a couple of days”, returning back to the boat in a similar fashion.
Now, if the thought of being stranded on a potentially rusting steel tower in the middle of the ocean isn’t anxiety-inducing enough, there’s also the question of what would happen in an emergency, as help would be pretty far away and difficult to get to.
Viewers took to the comments to write: “My anxiety would never allow this, if a medical emergency, do they have to call the coast guard?”
Others added: “What’s the opposite of a bucket list?”, and: “I don’t trust people enough for this.”
One joked: “‘See you in a couple days!’ is literally like a line out of a horror movie!”, as another wrote: “we’ll see a scary movie with this plot 2 years from now lmao.”
A horrified viewer added: “The fact that you can’t see land is sending me. Absolutely freaking not.”
Guests have to be winched up to the tower over shark-infested waters. Credit: TikTok/CaptainAustinsFishing
If all of that hasn’t put you off, stays on Frying Pan Tower start from around $200 per person per night, with a three-night minimum stay, meaning it’s going to cost at least $600 a head for a long weekend in the middle of nowhere.
For some, the peace and solitude is very alluring, as Aycock confirmed that one group stayed an impressive amount of time, writing: “The longest I’ve had a group stay out there was two weeks!”
As for what happens in an emergency, help is either a helicopter ride away, or a 35-mile trip on a boat back to shore.
The tower has eight bedrooms and can house up to 12 guests, and includes all the amenities you’d need for your stay, including a fully-equipped kitchen, as well as a washer and dryer, hot showers, and even high-speed internet powered by solar energy.
Guests also have fresh water by way of a reverse osmosis filtration system and for groups that don’t want to cook, a private chef can be hired for the stay, too.
Despite being miles from land, there’s little chance of boredom as there are activities ranging from fishing and snorkeling over a protected reef below the structure, as well as golf with biodegradable balls made of fish food, and skeet shooting with biodegradable clay targets.
Guests have been able to stay on the tower since 2012 and the property is maintained by a volunteer community dedicated to preserving the historic station.
It’s definitely not for everyone, but that’s one vacation you’d truly never forget.
