RMS Rhone

The RMS Rhone is the most famous wreck dive in the Caribbean and the single best reason to carry divers on a BVI charter. A 310-foot Royal Mail Steamer, she was driven onto the rocks at Salt Island in the hurricane of October 1867 and broke in two, and both sections remain remarkably intact more than 150 years later.

What you will see at RMS Rhone

The bow section lies deeper, largely whole on its side, and is the more atmospheric of the two — you can swim the length of the hull with the plating arching above you. The stern section sits much shallower, scattered across the seabed, and includes the propeller and drive shaft. The shallower debris field is accessible to strong snorkellers in calm conditions, though the wreck proper is a dive.

The site sits within the Rhone National Marine Park, and the protection shows: the structure is thick with coral, sponges and reef fish, with barracuda and turtles regularly on the wreck.

Getting there on your crewed charter

Note that the Rhone lies off Salt Island rather than Cooper, though it is usually dived from boats based in this stretch of the channel.

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