The Wreckage of the Rhone
The RMS Rhone is a legendary ship wreckage that has actually brought to life an attractive aquatic park. It is among the most popular dives in the Caribbean. Its tragic tale remains to amaze and captivate us.


Captain Woolley went with the closest route to open sea via the channel between Dead Breast Island and Black Rock Point on Salt Island. As Rhone happened to come close to the factor the tail end of the storm tossed her onto the rocks.

The History
Throughout the yellow high temperature epidemic of the 1860s, transatlantic passenger ships stopped consistently at Road Harbour, Tortola and Great Harbour on Peter Island to transfer travelers and freight between them. Master Frederick Woolley of the Rhone had been cautioned by a going down measure that a storm was coming, however believing that the cyclone period was over, he determined to stay at Great Harbour for the transfer with one more RMS ship, Conway.

Just as they were passing Black Rock Point between Salt and Dead Upper body islands, the climate suddenly changed direction. The initial stumble captured the Rhone on her side and she wrecked versus the rough coral reef. Tale has it that Captain Wooley was making use of a silver teaspoon (which remains encrusted in the coral reefs today) to stir his favorite at the time. The wreckage is currently a preferred dive website, home to a fascinating range of marine life. Lots of people concur that a complete expedition of the website requires two separate dives, as the bow and stern sections are spread apart at different depths.

The Wreck
The Rhone rests below the warm clear waters of the Caribbean Sea and is a renowned dive website today. Site visitors can check out the incredibly undamaged bow area, see where scenes from the 1977 movie The Deep were fired, and swim under the demanding near its big 15 foot prop. This bursting aquatic park is a tip of the fragile balance between guy and nature.

On 29th October 1867 as Captain Wooley was preparing to anchor the Rhone in Road Harbor, the wind and waves changed and he made a decision to try to beat the approaching storm out into the ocean blue. He guided the ship to Black Rock Factor between Dead Breast and Blond Rock, a set of rough pinnacles rising up from the water. The ship struck the rocks and sank in two sections with the cold water of the incoming trend speaking to the warm central heating boilers triggering a surge and sinking the vessel with all 123 travelers still connected to their beds.

Snorkeling
One of the most famous wreckage dives in the Caribbean, snorkelers can conveniently discover much of the Rhone by just floating on a mask and breathing through the sea. The deeper bow area is specifically unspoiled, a kaleidoscope of orange cup corals reefs teeming with yellowtail snapper, sennets and jacks. It's also where scenes from the 1977 flick The Deep were recorded.

The demanding and belly are much more broken up, yet they use a haunting look of a previous period. Scuba divers must plan on at least two dives to totally experience the Rhone, specifically considering that visibility can sometimes be difficult. Highlights consist of the fortunate porthole, which divers rub for good luck, and the renowned bronze propeller. The rusting skeleton of the Rhone is a famous view in the BVI and is a must-see for any type of diving or boating fanatic. The ship is open to the general public for exploration, and many regional dive boats see daily. The Rhone is secured by the National Park Solution, and entry is free of charge.

Diving
Among the Caribbean's most celebrated wreck dives, Rhone is a coveted site for its historic attraction and teeming marine life. It's open and reasonably safe, making it ideal for scuba divers of all experience levels.

The tale behind the accident is unfortunate: as she was transferring travelers to another ship, Conway, at Road Harbour yacht charter broker on Tortola, Rhone rounded Black Rock Point and ran into it at full speed. Warm boilers shattered versus cool salt water and took off, sending out the Rhone crashing right into the rocks and sinking in minutes. Only 23 of the 146 people aboard survived. Their bodies were buried on Salt Island.

The wreck split in two when it sank, and the bow section drifted to deeper waters, while the demanding worked out at regarding 80 feet. Both are engulfed in coral and inhabited by marine life, consisting of schools of yellowtail snappers, sennets, jacks and grunts. It takes a minimum of 2 dives to check out the whole wreckage, however, considering that the bow and strict areas are separated by about 100 feet of water.