The Wreck of the Rhone
The RMS Rhone is an epic ship wreck that has actually given birth to a gorgeous aquatic park. It is among one of the most prominent dives in the Caribbean. Its tragic tale continues to interest and captivate us.


Captain Woolley opted for the closest route to open sea through the channel between Dead Upper body Island and Black Rock Factor on Salt Island. As Rhone occurred to come close to the factor the tail end of the cyclone tossed her onto the rocks.

The History
During the yellow fever epidemic of the 1860s, transatlantic passenger ships stopped regularly 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 actually been warned by a going down measure that a tornado was coming, however thinking that the cyclone season was over, he chose to remain at Great Harbour for the transfer with one more RMS ship, Conway.

Just as they were passing Black Rock Factor between Salt and Dead Upper body islands, the weather condition instantly altered instructions. The preliminary stumble caught the Rhone on her side and she wrecked against the rough reef. Legend has it that Captain Wooley was making use of a silver teaspoon (which stays dirtied in the coral reefs today) to mix his cup of tea at the time. The wreckage is now a prominent dive website, home to a fascinating variety of marine life. The majority of people concur that a full expedition of the website calls for 2 different dives, as the bow and strict sections are spread out apart at various depths.

The Accident
The Rhone relaxes below the cozy clear waters of the Caribbean Sea and is a popular dive site today. Site visitors can discover the remarkably intact bow section, see where scenes from the 1977 movie The Deep were fired, and swim under the stern near its big 15 foot prop. This bristling marine park is a suggestion of the delicate equilibrium between man and nature.

On 29th October 1867 as Captain Wooley was preparing to secure the Rhone in Roadway Harbor, the wind and waves shifted and he decided to attempt to beat the coming close to storm out into the ocean blue. He steered the ship to Black Rock Factor between Dead Chest and Golden-haired Rock, a pair of rough pinnacles rising from the water. The ship struck the rocks and sank in two areas with the cold water of the incoming trend contacting the warm central heating boilers triggering an explosion and sinking the vessel with all 123 passengers still tied to their beds.

Snorkeling
Among the most popular wreck dives in the Caribbean, snorkelers can conveniently explore much of the Rhone by merely floating on a mask and breathing via the sea. The deeper bow area is particularly 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 recorded.

The stern and waistline are much more separated, however they supply a haunting peek of a previous era. Scuba divers should intend on at the very least two dives to totally experience the Rhone, especially considering that presence can in some cases be complicated. Highlights consist of the fortunate porthole, which scuba divers massage forever luck, and the renowned bronze prop. The rusting skeletal system 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 is open to the general public for exploration, and numerous neighborhood dive boats go to daily. The Rhone is secured by the National forest all-inclusive bahamas catamaran charters Service, and entryway is free of charge.

Diving
One of the Caribbean's most renowned wreckage dives, Rhone is a coveted site for its historic attraction and teeming marine life. It's open and fairly risk-free, making it ideal for scuba divers of all experience levels.

The story behind the accident is heartbreaking: as she was moving passengers to another ship, Conway, at Road Harbour on Tortola, Rhone rounded Black Rock Factor and faced it at full speed. Hot boilers shattered versus cold seawater and blew up, sending out the Rhone collapsing into the rocks and sinking in minutes. Only 23 of the 146 people aboard made it through. Their bodies were hidden on Salt Island.

The wreck split in two when it sank, and the bow section drifted to much deeper waters, while the stern settled at about 80 feet. Both are engulfed in coral and occupied by marine life, including institutions of yellowtail snappers, sennets, jacks and grunts. It takes a minimum of two dives to check out the whole wreckage, however, given that the bow and strict sections are separated by about 100 feet of water.