The Wreckage of the Rhone
The RMS Rhone is a fabulous ship wreckage that has actually brought to life a stunning marine park. It is one of the most preferred dives in the Caribbean. Its unfortunate tale continues to captivate and astound us.


Captain Woolley went with the closest route to ocean blue via the channel between Dead Upper body Island and Black Rock Factor on Salt Island. As Rhone came around to come close to the factor the tail end of the hurricane tossed her onto the rocks.

The Background
Throughout the yellow fever epidemic of the 1860s, transatlantic passenger ships quit routinely at Roadway Harbour, Tortola and Great Harbour on Peter Island to move guests and cargo between them. Master Frederick Woolley of the Rhone had actually been advised by a dropping barometer that a storm was coming, yet believing that the hurricane period was over, he chose to stay at Great Harbour for the transfer with another RMS ship, Conway.

Just as they were passing Black Rock Factor between Salt and Dead Upper body islands, the weather condition instantly transformed direction. The preliminary stumble captured the Rhone on her side and she wrecked against the rocky reef. Legend has it that Captain Wooley was utilizing a silver tsp (which continues to be dirtied in the coral today) to stir his cup of tea at the time. The accident is currently a preferred dive website, home to a fascinating array of marine life. The majority of people concur that a complete expedition of the website calls for 2 different dives, as the bow and strict areas are spread out apart at different depths.

The Wreck
The Rhone relaxes underneath the cozy clear waters of the Caribbean Sea and is a popular dive website today. Site visitors can explore the incredibly undamaged bow area, see where scenes from the 1977 movie The Deep were fired, and swim under the stern near its big 15 foot propeller. This bursting marine park is a reminder of the fragile balance between man and nature.

On 29th October 1867 as Captain Wooley was preparing to anchor the Rhone in Road Harbor, the wind and waves shifted and he decided to try to beat the approaching storm out into the open sea. He guided the ship to Black Rock Factor between Dead Chest and Blonde Rock, a pair of rocky pinnacles rising from the water. The ship struck the rocks and sank in 2 areas with the cold water of the inbound tide contacting the hot boilers creating a surge and sinking the vessel with all 123 passengers still tied to their beds.

Snorkeling
Among one of the most renowned wreckage dives in the Caribbean, snorkelers can conveniently check out much of the Rhone by just floating on a mask and breathing with the sea. The deeper bow area is particularly unspoiled, a kaleidoscope of orange mug corals reefs teeming with yellowtail snapper, sennets and jacks. It's also where scenes from the 1977 film The Deep were filmed.

The stern and stomach are a lot more broken up, yet they use a haunting glance of a previous age. Scuba divers must plan on at least 2 dives to completely experience the Rhone, specifically given that exposure can in some cases be tricky. Highlights consist of the lucky porthole, which divers rub completely luck, and the well-known bronze propeller. The rusting skeletal system all-inclusive caribbean catamaran charters of the Rhone is a famous view in the BVI and is a must-see for any type of diving or boating lover. The ship is open to the public for expedition, and numerous neighborhood dive watercrafts go to daily. The Rhone is safeguarded by the National Park Solution, and entry is free of charge.

Diving
One of the Caribbean's most celebrated wreckage dives, Rhone is a desirable site for its historical appeal and teeming aquatic life. It's open and fairly risk-free, making it suitable for divers of all experience degrees.

The tale behind the wreckage is heartbreaking: as she was moving passengers to an additional ship, Conway, at Roadway Harbour on Tortola, Rhone rounded Black Rock Point and ran into it at full speed. Hot boilers wrecked against cool seawater and took off, sending the Rhone collapsing into the rocks and sinking in mins. Only 23 of the 146 individuals aboard survived. Their bodies were hidden on Salt Island.

The accident split in two when it sank, and the bow section wandered to deeper waters, while the stern resolved at concerning 80 feet. Both are swallowed up in coral reefs and occupied by aquatic life, consisting of institutions of yellowtail snappers, sennets, jacks and grunts. It takes at the very least two dives to check out the whole wreck, however, since the bow and strict sections are separated by about 100 feet of water.