The Accident of the Rhone
The RMS Rhone is a legendary ship wreckage that has actually given birth to a stunning marine park. It is just one of one of the most prominent dives in the Caribbean. Its heartbreaking story continues to attract and astound us.


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

The Background
Throughout the yellow fever epidemic of the 1860s, transatlantic passenger ships quit frequently at Roadway Harbour, Tortola and Great Harbour on Peter Island to transfer travelers and cargo between them. Master Frederick Woolley of the Rhone had actually been advised by a dropping barometer that a storm was coming, but believing that the cyclone period was over, he chose to remain at Great Harbour for the transfer with an additional RMS ship, Conway.

Just as they were passing Black Rock Point in between Salt and Dead Upper body islands, the weather unexpectedly transformed instructions. The initial stumble captured the Rhone on her side and she wrecked versus the rough reef. Legend has it that Captain Wooley was utilizing a silver teaspoon (which stays encrusted in the coral today) to mix his cup of tea at the time. The wreckage is now a popular dive website, home to a remarkable array of aquatic life. Most individuals concur that a full expedition of the website calls for 2 separate dives, as the bow and stern areas are spread out apart at various midsts.

The Accident
The Rhone rests underneath the warm clear waters of the Caribbean Sea and is a renowned dive site today. Visitors can explore the remarkably undamaged bow area, see where scenes from the 1977 movie The Deep were fired, and swim under the strict near its big 15 foot propeller. This brimming marine park is a pointer of the fragile balance in between guy and nature.

On 29th October 1867 as Captain Wooley was preparing to secure the Rhone in Road Harbor, the wind and waves shifted and he determined to try to beat the coming close to storm out into the open sea. He steered the ship to Black Rock Factor between Dead Breast and Blonde Rock, a set of rough peaks rising 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 causing a surge and sinking the vessel with all 123 travelers still linked to their beds.

Snorkeling
One of the most renowned wreck dives in the Caribbean, snorkelers can quickly discover much of the Rhone by just drifting on a mask and breathing through 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 motion picture The Deep were recorded.

The strict and waistline are a lot more separated, but they provide a haunting glance of a past era. Divers ought to plan on a minimum of 2 dives to totally experience the Rhone, specifically since exposure can often be difficult. Emphasizes include the fortunate porthole, which scuba divers scrub completely luck, and the renowned bronze propeller. The rusting skeletal system 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 general public for exploration, and numerous neighborhood dive boats go to daily. The Rhone is safeguarded by the National Park full moon party virgin islands Solution, and entry is for free.

Diving
One of the Caribbean's most well known accident dives, Rhone is a sought after website for its historic attraction and teeming aquatic life. It's open and fairly secure, making it suitable for divers of all experience levels.

The story behind the wreckage is awful: as she was moving guests to another ship, Conway, at Road Harbour on Tortola, Rhone rounded Black Rock Point and encountered it at full speed. Warm central heating boilers smashed against cold seawater and blew up, sending out the Rhone collapsing right into the rocks and sinking in mins. Only 23 of the 146 people aboard made it through. Their bodies were hidden on Salt Island.

The wreckage split in two when it sank, and the bow area drifted to much deeper waters, while the strict resolved at regarding 80 feet. Both are swallowed up in reefs and lived in by marine life, including institutions of yellowtail snappers, sennets, jacks and grunts. It takes at the very least two dives to explore the entire wreck, though, because the bow and demanding sections are separated by regarding 100 feet of water.