The Accident of the Rhone
The RMS Rhone is an epic ship accident that has given birth to a gorgeous marine park. It is just one of one of the most prominent dives in the Caribbean. Its terrible story remains to interest and mesmerize us.


Captain Woolley went with the closest route to open sea via the channel between Dead Breast Island and Black Rock Factor on Salt Island. As Rhone came around to approach the factor the tail end of the storm tossed her onto the rocks.

The History
Throughout the yellow high temperature epidemic of the 1860s, transatlantic passenger ships stopped consistently at Road Harbour, Tortola and Great Harbour on Peter Island to transfer travelers and freight between them. Master Frederick Woolley of the Rhone had been alerted by a going down measure 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.

Equally as they were passing Black Rock Point between Salt and Dead Breast islands, the weather condition instantly transformed direction. The initial lurch captured the Rhone on her side and she wrecked versus the rough coral reef. Legend has it that Captain Wooley was using a silver teaspoon (which stays dirtied in the coral reefs today) to mix his favorite at the time. The wreckage is now a popular dive site, home to an interesting variety of aquatic life. Lots of people concur that a complete expedition of the website requires two separate dives, as the bow and stern sections are spread apart at different depths.

The Wreck
The Rhone relaxes under the cozy clear waters of the Caribbean Sea and is a celebrated dive website today. Site visitors can discover the remarkably intact bow section, see where scenes from the 1977 film The Deep were shot, and swim under the strict near its huge 15 foot prop. This teeming marine park is a reminder 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 changed and he decided to attempt to defeat the coming close to storm out into the open sea. He guided the ship to Black Rock Factor in between Dead Upper Body and Blond Rock, a set of rocky pinnacles rising up from the water. The ship struck the rocks and sank in two sections with the cold water of the inbound trend speaking to the warm central heating boilers triggering a surge and sinking the vessel with all 123 passengers still connected to their beds.

Snorkeling
One of the most famous wreck dives in the Caribbean, snorkelers can easily check out much of the Rhone by simply drifting on a mask and breathing through the sea. The much deeper bow area is specifically well-preserved, a kaleidoscope of orange mug corals reefs teeming with yellowtail snapper, sennets and jacks. It's also where scenes all-inclusive yacht charters caribbean from the 1977 movie The Deep were filmed.

The strict and waistline are more broken up, but they use a haunting look of a past age. Divers must intend on at the very least 2 dives to completely experience the Rhone, especially since presence can occasionally be complicated. Emphasizes include the lucky porthole, which scuba divers rub permanently 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 fanatic. The ship is open to the general public for exploration, and many local dive watercrafts see daily. The Rhone is shielded by the National forest Solution, and entry is cost free.

Diving
Among the Caribbean's most popular wreckage dives, Rhone is a desired website for its historical allure and teeming aquatic life. It's open and reasonably risk-free, making it appropriate for divers of all experience levels.

The tale behind the accident is awful: as she was transferring passengers to an additional ship, Conway, at Roadway Harbour on Tortola, Rhone rounded Black Rock Factor and encountered it at full speed. Hot central heating boilers wrecked against cold seawater and took off, sending out the Rhone crashing into the rocks and sinking in mins. Just 23 of the 146 individuals aboard made it through. Their bodies were buried on Salt Island.

The wreckage split in two when it sank, and the bow area drifted to deeper waters, while the strict cleared up at regarding 80 feet. Both are engulfed in reefs and populated by marine life, including schools of yellowtail snappers, sennets, jacks and grunts. It takes at the very least two dives to explore the whole accident, though, given that the bow and demanding sections are divided by regarding 100 feet of water.