The Wreck of the Rhone
The RMS Rhone is a fabulous ship wreckage that has given birth to a lovely aquatic park. It is one of the most preferred dives in the Caribbean. Its terrible tale remains to captivate and mesmerize us.


Captain Woolley chose the closest path to open sea through the channel in 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 guest ships quit consistently at Roadway Harbour, Tortola and Great Harbour on Peter Island to move travelers and cargo between them. Master Frederick Woolley of the Rhone had been warned by a going down measure that a tornado was coming, however believing that the hurricane season mored than, he determined to remain at Great Harbour for the transfer with one more RMS ship, Conway.

Just as they were passing Black Rock Point between Salt and Dead Upper body islands, the climate unexpectedly altered direction. The initial stumble captured the Rhone on her side and she shattered against the rocky coral reef. Tale has it that Captain Wooley was utilizing a silver teaspoon (which remains dirtied in the coral reefs today) to stir his cup of tea at the time. The wreckage is currently a prominent dive site, home to a fascinating selection of aquatic life. Most individuals concur that a full exploration of the website needs two separate dives, as the bow and strict areas are spread apart at different midsts.

The Accident
The Rhone rests under the cozy clear waters of the Caribbean Sea and is a well known dive site today. Site visitors can check out the remarkably undamaged bow area, see where scenes from the 1977 film The Deep were shot, and swim under the strict near its big 15 foot propeller. This teeming aquatic park is a pointer 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 moved and he chose to attempt to defeat the approaching storm out right into the ocean blue. He steered the ship to Black Rock Factor between Dead Chest and Blond Rock, a pair of rough peaks rising up from the water. The ship struck the rocks and sank in 2 sections with the cold water of the incoming trend calling the hot central heating boilers triggering an explosion and sinking the vessel with all 123 guests still connected to their beds.

Snorkeling
One of one of the most well-known wreckage dives in the Caribbean, snorkelers can quickly explore much of the Rhone by merely drifting on a mask and breathing with the sea. The deeper bow area is particularly unspoiled, a kaleidoscope of orange cup corals including yellowtail snapper, sennets and jacks. It's also where scenes from the 1977 flick The Deep were shot.

The stern and waistline are much more separated, however they offer a haunting look of a past period. Divers need to plan on at the very least two dives to fully experience the Rhone, specifically because presence can in some cases be complicated. Emphasizes include the fortunate porthole, which divers massage permanently luck, and the renowned bronze propeller. The rusting skeletal system of the Rhone is a famous 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 several local dive watercrafts visit daily. The Rhone is secured by the National Park Solution, and entry is absolutely free.

Diving
One of the Caribbean's most well known wreckage dives, Rhone is a desired site for yachting vacations for couples its historic 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 wreckage is awful: as she was transferring travelers to an additional ship, Conway, at Road Harbour on Tortola, Rhone rounded Black Rock Factor and faced it at full speed. Hot central heating boilers smashed against cool seawater and blew up, sending out the Rhone crashing into the rocks and sinking in mins. Just 23 of the 146 people aboard survived. Their bodies were hidden on Salt Island.

The wreck split in two when it sank, and the bow area wandered to deeper waters, while the demanding resolved at about 80 feet. Both are swallowed up in reefs and occupied by aquatic life, consisting of schools of yellowtail snappers, sennets, jacks and grunts. It takes a minimum of 2 dives to explore the whole wreckage, though, given that the bow and stern areas are divided by about 100 feet of water.