The Accident of the Rhone
The RMS Rhone is a fabulous ship wreck that has given birth to a lovely aquatic park. It is just one of one of the most popular dives in the Caribbean. Its terrible story continues to amaze and mesmerize us.


Captain Woolley chose the closest route to ocean blue through the network between Dead Upper body Island and Black Rock Point on Salt Island. As Rhone occurred to approach the factor the tail end of the hurricane tossed her onto the rocks.

The Background
Throughout the yellow high temperature epidemic of the 1860s, transatlantic guest ships stopped routinely at Road Harbour, Tortola and Great Harbour on Peter Island to move passengers and freight in between them. Master Frederick Woolley of the Rhone had been alerted by a dropping measure that a tornado was coming, however believing that the typhoon period 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 in between Salt and Dead Upper body islands, the weather condition unexpectedly altered direction. The first stumble caught the Rhone on her side and she smashed versus the rough reef. Legend has it that Captain Wooley was utilizing a silver teaspoon (which stays encrusted in the reefs today) to mix his favorite at the time. The wreck is now a prominent dive site, home to an interesting variety of aquatic life. Most individuals agree that a full expedition of the website calls for 2 different dives, as the bow and strict areas are spread apart at various midsts.

The Wreckage
The Rhone rests beneath the warm clear waters of the Caribbean Sea and is a popular dive site today. Visitors can explore the extremely undamaged bow section, see where scenes from the 1977 movie The Deep were fired, and swim under the demanding near its big 15 foot propeller. This bristling aquatic park is a suggestion of the delicate equilibrium between male 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 try to beat the coming close to storm out right into the ocean blue. He steered the ship to Black Rock Point between Dead Chest 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 incoming tide contacting the hot central heating boilers creating a surge and sinking the vessel with all 123 passengers still tied to their beds.

Snorkeling
One of the most well-known wreck dives in the Caribbean, snorkelers can conveniently check out much of the Rhone by just drifting on a mask and breathing with the sea. The much deeper bow area is particularly unspoiled, a kaleidoscope of orange mug corals reefs teeming with yellowtail snapper, sennets and jacks. It's also where scenes from the 1977 motion picture The Deep were shot.

The strict and stomach are much more separated, however they offer a haunting glimpse of a previous period. Divers must plan on at least two dives to totally experience the Rhone, particularly because presence can occasionally be tricky. Emphasizes consist of the fortunate porthole, which divers massage completely luck, and the famous bronze propeller. The rusting skeletal system of the Rhone is a renowned view in the BVI and is a must-see for any type sail boat charter of diving or boating fanatic. The ship is open to the public for exploration, and several local dive watercrafts go to daily. The Rhone is shielded by the National Park Solution, and entryway is for free.

Diving
Among the Caribbean's most celebrated accident dives, Rhone is a coveted site for its historic allure and bursting marine life. It's open and reasonably safe, making it appropriate for scuba divers of all experience levels.

The tale behind the wreck is heartbreaking: as she was transferring travelers to another ship, Conway, at Roadway Harbour on Tortola, Rhone rounded Black Rock Factor and ran into it at full speed. Warm boilers shattered versus chilly salt water and exploded, sending out the Rhone crashing into the rocks and sinking in mins. Only 23 of the 146 individuals aboard survived. Their bodies were buried on Salt Island.

The wreckage split in two when it sank, and the bow section wandered to much deeper waters, while the strict cleared up at about 80 feet. Both are swallowed up in coral and inhabited by marine life, including schools of yellowtail snappers, sennets, jacks and grunts. It takes a minimum of two dives to check out the entire wreck, though, considering that the bow and demanding areas are divided by concerning 100 feet of water.