The Accident of the Rhone
The RMS Rhone is an epic ship accident that has given birth to a stunning marine park. It is one of one of the most prominent dives in the Caribbean. Its heartbreaking story continues to fascinate and astound us.


Captain Woolley selected the closest course to open sea with the network between Dead Breast Island and Black Rock Factor on Salt Island. As Rhone occurred to approach the point the tail end of the storm tossed her onto the rocks.

The History
During the yellow high temperature epidemic of the 1860s, transatlantic passenger ships stopped on a regular basis at Roadway Harbour, Tortola and Great Harbour on Peter Island to transfer travelers and freight in between them. Master Frederick Woolley of the Rhone had been cautioned by a going down measure that a tornado was coming, but believing that the cyclone period mored than, he decided to stay at Great Harbour for the transfer with one more RMS ship, Conway.

Equally as they were passing Black Rock Factor in between Salt and Dead Chest islands, the weather condition unexpectedly transformed instructions. The initial lurch caught the Rhone on her side and she shattered versus the rough coral reef. Tale has it that Captain Wooley was using a silver teaspoon (which stays encrusted in the coral reefs today) to mix his favorite at the time. The wreckage is currently a popular dive site, home to an interesting range of aquatic life. Most individuals concur that a complete exploration of the site requires two separate dives, as the bow and stern sections are spread apart at different depths.

The Accident
The Rhone rests underneath the cozy clear waters of the Caribbean Sea and is a renowned dive website today. Site visitors can discover the extremely undamaged bow area, see where scenes from the 1977 movie The Deep were fired, and swim under the strict near its huge 15 foot prop. This bursting aquatic park is a suggestion of the fragile equilibrium in between guy 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 made a decision to try to beat the approaching storm out into the open sea. He steered the ship to Black Rock Point in between Dead Upper Body and Blond Rock, a set of rough peaks rising up from the water. The ship struck the rocks and sank in two sections with the cold water of the incoming tide contacting the warm central heating boilers creating a surge and sinking the vessel with all 123 british virgin islands catamaran rental travelers still connected to their beds.

Snorkeling
One of the most famous wreckage dives in the Caribbean, snorkelers can conveniently discover much of the Rhone by just drifting on a mask and breathing with the sea. The deeper bow section is specifically unspoiled, a kaleidoscope of orange mug corals reefs teeming with yellowtail snapper, sennets and jacks. It's also where scenes from the 1977 movie The Deep were recorded.

The strict and stomach are much more broken up, but they supply a haunting glance of a previous age. Divers should intend on a minimum of two dives to fully experience the Rhone, specifically given that exposure can in some cases be tricky. Emphasizes consist of the lucky porthole, which divers massage completely luck, and the well-known bronze propeller. The rusting skeletal system of the Rhone is a famous sight in the BVI and is a must-see for any diving or boating fanatic. The ship is open to the public for exploration, and several regional dive boats see daily. The Rhone is secured by the National Park Service, and entry is at no cost.

Diving
One of the Caribbean's most popular accident dives, Rhone is a sought after website for its historic allure and bristling marine life. It's open and relatively secure, making it appropriate for scuba divers of all experience levels.

The story behind the wreckage is awful: as she was moving travelers to an additional ship, Conway, at Roadway Harbour on Tortola, Rhone rounded Black Rock Point and faced it at full speed. Hot central heating boilers shattered versus chilly seawater and blew up, sending the Rhone collapsing into the rocks and sinking in mins. Only 23 of the 146 individuals aboard survived. Their bodies were hidden on Salt Island.

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