The Accident of the Rhone
The RMS Rhone is a fabulous ship wreck that has given birth to a gorgeous marine park. It is among the most prominent dives in the Caribbean. Its unfortunate tale remains to fascinate and captivate us.



Captain Woolley selected the closest route to open sea via the channel in between Dead Upper body Island and Black Rock Point on Salt Island. As Rhone happened to approach the point the tail end of the hurricane threw her onto the rocks.

The History
Throughout the yellow fever epidemic of the 1860s, transatlantic guest ships stopped frequently at Road Harbour, Tortola and Great Harbour on Peter Island to move travelers and cargo between them. Master Frederick Woolley of the Rhone had been advised by a dropping measure that a storm was coming, however believing that the cyclone period was over, he determined to remain at Great Harbour for the transfer with one more RMS ship, Conway.

Just as they were passing Black Rock Point in between Salt and Dead Upper body islands, the weather all of a sudden changed direction. The first lurch caught the Rhone on her side and she wrecked against the rocky reef. Legend has it that Captain Wooley was utilizing a silver tsp (which remains dirtied in the coral reefs today) to mix his favorite at the time. The accident is now a popular dive site, home to a fascinating variety of marine life. Most individuals concur that a full exploration of the website calls for 2 different dives, as the bow and demanding sections are spread out apart at different midsts.

The Wreck
The Rhone relaxes underneath the warm clear waters of the Caribbean Sea and is a renowned dive site today. Visitors can check out the incredibly intact bow area, see where scenes from the 1977 movie The Deep were shot, and swim under the demanding near its big 15 foot prop. This teeming marine park is a pointer of the delicate equilibrium in between male and nature.

On 29th October 1867 as Captain Wooley was preparing to secure the Rhone in Roadway Harbor, the wind and waves changed and he decided to try to defeat the approaching storm out right into the ocean blue. He steered the ship to Black Rock Point in between Dead Chest and Blond Rock, a pair of rocky peaks rising from the water. The ship struck the rocks and sank in two areas with the cold water of the inbound tide calling the hot central heating boilers creating an explosion and sinking the vessel with all 123 passengers still linked to their beds.

Snorkeling
Among the most well-known wreckage dives in the Caribbean, snorkelers can easily explore much of the Rhone by merely floating on a mask and breathing with the sea. The deeper bow area is especially unspoiled, a kaleidoscope of orange cup reefs teeming with yellowtail snapper, sennets and jacks. It's also where scenes from the 1977 film The Deep were recorded.

The strict and all-inclusive yacht charters midsection are extra broken up, but they provide a haunting glance of a past period. Scuba divers should intend on a minimum of two dives to totally experience the Rhone, especially since presence can sometimes be tricky. Emphasizes consist of the fortunate porthole, which divers massage completely luck, and the well-known bronze propeller. The rusting skeleton of the Rhone is an iconic view in the BVI and is a must-see for any kind of diving or boating lover. The ship is open to the public for expedition, and numerous local dive watercrafts visit daily. The Rhone is secured by the National forest Solution, and entrance is cost free.

Diving
One of the Caribbean's most well known wreckage dives, Rhone is a desired site for its historic appeal and brimming marine life. It's open and fairly secure, making it appropriate for divers of all experience degrees.

The story behind the wreck is terrible: as she was moving travelers to another ship, Conway, at Road Harbour on Tortola, Rhone rounded Black Rock Factor and ran into it at full speed. Warm boilers smashed versus chilly salt water and took off, sending the Rhone collapsing right into the rocks and sinking in minutes. Just 23 of the 146 people aboard endured. Their bodies were buried on Salt Island.

The wreckage split in two when it sank, and the bow section drifted to much deeper waters, while the stern resolved at regarding 80 feet. Both are swallowed up in coral and inhabited by marine life, including institutions of yellowtail snappers, sennets, jacks and grunts. It takes at least two dives to discover the entire wreckage, though, given that the bow and stern areas are separated by regarding 100 feet of water.