The Wreck of the Rhone
The RMS Rhone is an epic ship wreck that has brought to life a gorgeous aquatic park. It is just one of the most prominent dives in the Caribbean. Its unfortunate story continues to interest and captivate us.


Captain Woolley selected the closest course to ocean blue with the channel between Dead Breast Island and Black Rock Point on Salt Island. As Rhone came around to approach the factor the tail end of the storm threw her onto the rocks.

The Background
During the yellow fever epidemic of the 1860s, transatlantic passenger ships stopped routinely at Road Harbour, Tortola and Great Harbour on Peter Island to move guests and freight in between them. Master Frederick Woolley of the Rhone had been cautioned by a dropping barometer that a tornado was coming, yet thinking that the cyclone season was over, he decided to stay at Great Harbour for the transfer with an additional RMS ship, Conway.

Equally as they were passing Black Rock Factor between Salt and Dead Chest islands, the weather instantly transformed instructions. The preliminary lurch captured the Rhone on her side and she wrecked versus the rocky coral reef. Tale has it that Captain Wooley was utilizing a silver teaspoon (which remains encrusted in the reefs today) to mix his cup of tea at the time. The wreck is currently a prominent dive site, home to a fascinating array of aquatic life. Lots of people concur that a full expedition of the website needs two different dives, as the bow and strict sections are spread out apart at various depths.

The Wreck
The Rhone relaxes below the warm clear waters of the Caribbean Sea and is a celebrated dive website today. Visitors can explore the extremely intact bow section, see where scenes from the 1977 movie The Deep were shot, and swim under the stern near its huge 15 foot prop. This brimming aquatic park is a tip of the delicate balance in between guy and nature.

On 29th October 1867 as Captain boat rentals near me Wooley was preparing to anchor the Rhone in Roadway Harbor, the wind and waves moved and he decided to attempt to beat the approaching storm out right into the open sea. He guided the ship to Black Rock Factor between Dead Upper Body and Golden-haired Rock, a pair of rough pinnacles rising from the water. The ship struck the rocks and sank in 2 sections with the cold water of the inbound tide contacting the warm boilers creating a surge and sinking the vessel with all 123 passengers still linked to their beds.

Snorkeling
One of the most popular wreck dives in the Caribbean, snorkelers can conveniently check out much of the Rhone by simply drifting on a mask and breathing through the sea. The much deeper bow section is specifically unspoiled, a kaleidoscope of orange cup reefs teeming with yellowtail snapper, sennets and jacks. It's additionally where scenes from the 1977 film The Deep were filmed.

The demanding and midsection are extra broken up, yet they provide a haunting glimpse of a previous era. Scuba divers should intend on at least 2 dives to completely experience the Rhone, specifically because presence can often be tricky. Emphasizes include the fortunate porthole, which divers scrub for good luck, and the popular bronze propeller. The rusting skeletal system of the Rhone is an iconic view in the BVI and is a must-see for any diving or boating lover. The ship is open to the general public for exploration, and several regional dive watercrafts go to daily. The Rhone is shielded by the National Park Solution, and entrance is absolutely free.

Diving
One of the Caribbean's most renowned wreck dives, Rhone is a desired website for its historical attraction and teeming aquatic life. It's open and reasonably risk-free, making it ideal for divers of all experience degrees.

The tale behind the wreck is heartbreaking: as she was transferring travelers to an additional ship, Conway, at Road Harbour on Tortola, Rhone rounded Black Rock Factor and ran into it at full speed. Hot central heating boilers smashed against cool seawater and blew up, sending out the Rhone crashing into the rocks and sinking in mins. Only 23 of the 146 people aboard endured. Their bodies were buried on Salt Island.

The accident split in two when it sank, and the bow area wandered to deeper waters, while the demanding resolved at about 80 feet. Both are engulfed in reefs and inhabited by marine life, consisting of schools of yellowtail snappers, sennets, jacks and grunts. It takes a minimum of 2 dives to discover the entire accident, however, since the bow and stern areas are divided by about 100 feet of water.