The Wreck of the Rhone
The RMS Rhone is a legendary ship wreckage that has brought to life an attractive marine park. It is just one of the most preferred dives in the Caribbean. Its awful tale continues to fascinate and mesmerize us.


Captain Woolley opted for the closest route to ocean blue via the network in between Dead Breast Island and Black Rock Point on Salt Island. As Rhone came around to come close to the point the tail end of the cyclone tossed her onto the rocks.

The Background
During the yellow high temperature epidemic of the 1860s, transatlantic passenger ships quit routinely at Roadway Harbour, Tortola and Great Harbour on Peter Island to transfer guests and cargo in between them. Master Frederick Woolley of the Rhone had been alerted by a going down barometer that a tornado was coming, but thinking that the hurricane period mored than, he chose to remain at Great Harbour for the transfer with another RMS ship, Conway.

Equally as they were passing Black Rock Point between Salt and Dead Upper body islands, the weather instantly changed instructions. The first lurch captured the Rhone on her side and she smashed against the rough reef. Legend has it that Captain Wooley was making use of a silver teaspoon (which stays dirtied in the coral today) to stir his favorite at the time. The wreck is now a preferred dive site, home to a remarkable selection of marine life. Most individuals agree that a complete expedition of the site calls for 2 separate dives, as the bow and demanding areas are spread out apart at different depths.

The Wreckage
The Rhone relaxes below the cozy clear waters of the Caribbean Sea and is a popular dive site today. Visitors can check out the extremely intact bow section, see where scenes from the 1977 film The Deep were fired, and swim under the strict near its large 15 foot propeller. This bursting aquatic park is a reminder of the delicate equilibrium in between man and nature.

On 29th October 1867 as Captain Wooley was preparing to anchor the Rhone in Road Harbor, the wind and waves moved and he determined to try to beat the approaching storm out right into the ocean blue. He steered the ship to Black Rock Point between Dead Breast and Blond Rock, a set of rough pinnacles rising up 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 causing an explosion and sinking the vessel with all 123 guests still tied to their beds.

Snorkeling
One of one of the most famous accident dives in the Caribbean, snorkelers can easily explore much of the Rhone by just drifting on a mask and breathing with the sea. The deeper bow area is especially unspoiled, a kaleidoscope of orange cup corals reefs including yellowtail snapper, sennets and jacks. It's additionally where scenes from the 1977 motion picture The Deep were filmed.

The demanding and stomach are more broken up, however they offer a haunting glimpse of a past period. Divers must plan on a minimum of two dives to completely experience the Rhone, particularly because presence can sometimes be tricky. Highlights include the lucky porthole, which divers rub for good luck, and the well-known bronze propeller. The rusting skeletal system of the Rhone is a famous sight in the BVI and is a must-see for any diving or boating fanatic. The ship is open to the general public for expedition, and many local dive boats check out daily. The Rhone is shielded by the National forest Solution, and entrance is free of charge.

Diving
Among the Caribbean's most well known wreck dives, Rhone is a desirable website for its historical attraction and brimming marine life. It's open and reasonably safe, making it suitable for scuba divers of all experience degrees.

The tale behind the accident is terrible: as she was transferring guests to an additional ship, Conway, at Roadway Harbour on Tortola, Rhone rounded Black Rock Point and faced it at full speed. Warm boilers smashed against cool salt water and exploded, sending the Rhone collapsing into the rocks and sinking in mins. Just 23 of the 146 people aboard survived. Their bodies were hidden on Salt Island.

The accident split in two when it sank, and the bow section wandered to much deeper waters, while the demanding worked out at concerning 80 feet. Both are swallowed up in coral and inhabited by aquatic life, including all inclusive sailing trips schools of yellowtail snappers, sennets, jacks and grunts. It takes at the very least two dives to explore the whole accident, though, given that the bow and demanding sections are divided by regarding 100 feet of water.