The Wreck of the Rhone
The RMS Rhone is a legendary ship wreck that has brought to life a beautiful marine park. It is one of the most prominent dives in the Caribbean. Its tragic story remains to fascinate and captivate us.


Captain Woolley opted for the closest route to open sea via the network in between Dead Upper body Island and Black Rock Factor on Salt Island. As Rhone happened to approach the point the tail end of the hurricane tossed her onto the rocks.

The Background
Throughout the yellow high temperature epidemic of the 1860s, transatlantic traveler ships quit frequently at Roadway Harbour, Tortola and Great Harbour on Peter Island to transfer passengers and cargo in between them. Master Frederick Woolley of the Rhone had actually been advised by a going down barometer that a storm was coming, but thinking that the storm period was over, he chose to stay at Great Harbour for the transfer with another RMS ship, Conway.

Equally as they were passing Black Rock Factor between Salt and Dead Chest islands, the weather suddenly transformed instructions. The preliminary lurch caught the Rhone on her side and she wrecked versus the rocky reef. Tale has it that Captain Wooley was making use of a silver tsp (which stays encrusted in the reefs today) to mix his cup of tea at the time. The wreck is currently a preferred dive site, home to a fascinating array of aquatic life. Most individuals concur that a full exploration of the website needs two different dives, as the bow and strict sections are spread apart at various midsts.

The Wreck
The Rhone relaxes underneath the warm clear waters of the Caribbean Sea and is a celebrated dive website today. Site visitors can explore the remarkably undamaged bow section, see where scenes from the 1977 film The Deep were fired, and swim under the demanding near its large 15 foot prop. This bursting marine park is a suggestion of the fragile balance in between guy and nature.

On 29th October 1867 as Captain Wooley was preparing to anchor the Rhone in Roadway Harbor, the wind and waves moved and he chose to attempt to defeat the approaching storm out right into the open sea. He steered the ship to Black Rock Factor between Dead Upper Body and Golden-haired Rock, a pair of rough pinnacles rising up from the water. The ship struck the rocks and sank in 2 sections with the cold water of the inbound trend getting in touch with the warm central heating boilers causing a surge and sinking the vessel with all 123 travelers still linked to their beds.

Snorkeling
Among the most renowned accident dives in the Caribbean, snorkelers can easily check out much of the Rhone by simply drifting on a mask and breathing with the sea. The much deeper bow section is particularly unspoiled, a kaleidoscope of orange cup reefs teeming with yellowtail snapper, sennets and jacks. It's additionally where scenes from the 1977 motion picture The Deep were filmed.

The demanding and belly are extra broken up, yet they use a haunting glimpse of a previous era. Scuba divers should intend on at least 2 dives to fully experience the Rhone, specifically because presence can often be tricky. Emphasizes include the fortunate porthole, which scuba divers scrub for good luck, and the popular bronze propeller. The rusting skeleton of the Rhone is a legendary sight in the BVI and is a must-see for any kind of diving or boating lover. The ship all inclusive sailing trips is open to the general public for exploration, and several local dive watercrafts visit daily. The Rhone is secured by the National Park Service, and entry is at no cost.

Diving
Among the Caribbean's most well known wreckage dives, Rhone is a sought after website for its historical appeal and bristling marine life. It's open and reasonably safe, making it appropriate for scuba divers of all experience levels.

The tale behind the wreck is awful: as she was moving passengers to an additional ship, Conway, at Road Harbour on Tortola, Rhone rounded Black Rock Point and faced it at full speed. Hot boilers wrecked against chilly salt water and exploded, sending the Rhone collapsing into the rocks and sinking in minutes. Just 23 of the 146 individuals aboard survived. Their bodies were hidden on Salt Island.

The wreckage split in two when it sank, and the bow section wandered to much deeper waters, while the stern cleared up at concerning 80 feet. Both are engulfed in coral reefs and lived in by marine life, including institutions of yellowtail snappers, sennets, jacks and grunts. It takes at the very least two dives to check out the whole wreck, though, considering that the bow and strict sections are separated by concerning 100 feet of water.