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Overview
310-foot Royal Mail Steamer launched in 1865 and torn apart on Black Rock Point during the San Narciso Hurricane of October 1867, killing 123. She lies in two sections off Salt Island: the bow rests on its starboard side in 24–26 m with the bowsprit, foremast and open cargo holds large enough to swim through, while the stern lies broken in 6–15 m around the bronze propeller and condenser. Iron ribs are encrusted with orange cup coral, sponges and gorgonians. Hawksbill turtles, nurse sharks, big southern stingrays, green moray eels, schools of horse-eye jacks and resident barracuda work the structure. Featured in Peter Benchley's 1977 film The Deep, the wreck became the BVI's first National Marine Park in 1980 and is widely cited as the Caribbean's best recreational wreck dive.
Briefing note
The Rhone is fully protected within the BVI National Parks Trust — removing artefacts, coral or marine life is prohibited and enforced. Most operators run it as two separate dives: a deeper bow dive first (24–26 m) then a shallow stern dive (6–15 m), with the famous 'Lucky Porthole' (a bronze condenser fitting rubbed for luck) on the stern leg. Penetration through the bow's open cargo holds is straightforward for Open Water divers in good trim; deeper engine-room penetration requires Wreck certification. Hurricane season (Aug–Oct) brings reduced visibility and occasional closures; nearest recompression chamber is on St. Thomas, USVI.
What you'll see
8 species curated- year-roundHawksbill turtle
- year-roundNurse shark
- year-roundSouthern stingray
- year-roundGreen moray eel
- year-roundGreat barracuda
- rareGoliath grouper
- year-roundHorse-eye jack
- year-roundFrench angelfish
Sightings evidence
1 record on file- high confidenceHawksbill turtle
- Last confirmed
- May 2026
- Recent records
- 130 within 10 km
Sources & methodology
How we summarise this
We aggregate confirmed occurrence records from GBIF and OBIS within a fixed radius of each dive site. Occurrence records confirm presence and reveal seasonality clustering, but they DO NOT measure per-dive probability — there is no eligible-effort denominator. We deliberately do not publish a numeric '% chance of sighting' from this data.
Sources
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility — GBIF Secretariat
- Ocean Biodiversity Information System — IOC-UNESCO
- iNaturalist — California Academy of Sciences & National Geographic Society
- OBIS-SEAMAP — Duke University Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab / OBIS
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature
- WoRMS — World Register of Marine Species — Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)
- FishBase — FishBase Consortium
- Atlas of Living Australia — CSIRO / GBIF Australia
- REEF Volunteer Fish Survey — Reef Environmental Education Foundation
The wreck
Ship history- Underwater cultural heritage
Freighter · United Kingdom
RMS Rhone
- Built
- 1865
- Sunk
- Oct 29, 1867
- Length
- 94 m
- Tonnage
- 2,738
- Diveable depth
- 6–26 m
- How she sank
- Lost in storm
Royal Mail Steam Packet ship driven onto Black Rock Point in the 1867 San Narciso hurricane. Broke in two — the bow lies upright at 25 m, the stern section in shallow water. Featured in the 1977 film 'The Deep.'
Notable features
- bronze propeller
- lucky porthole
- intact bow
- scattered cargo
Vessel histories sourced from the Naval History and Heritage Command (DANFS), NOAA ENC Direct, and editorial research. Bathymetry per GEBCO. See the methodology for limits.
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25–27 °C | 18–30 m | mild |
| Feb | 25–26 °C | 18–30 m | mild |
| Mar | 25–26 °C | 20–30 m | mild |
| Apr | 26–27 °C | 20–30 m | mild |
| May | 26–28 °C | 20–30 m | mild |
| Jun | 27–28 °C | 20–30 m | mild |
| Jul | 28–29 °C | 18–25 m | mild |
| Aug | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | moderate |
| Sep | 28–30 °C | 12–25 m | moderate |
| Oct | 27–29 °C | 12–25 m | moderate |
| Nov | 26–28 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Dec | 26–27 °C | 18–30 m | mild |
Season calendar
Peak season highlighted · current month outlined
Gear for this site
Beyond the basic kit- Primary torch — The bow's cargo holds and the open passages between deck beams are dark even on bright days — a torch reveals the encrusting cup coral, lobster and resident moray eels tucked into the iron framework.
- Reef hook or SMB — Currents through the Salt Island channel can pick up on outgoing tides; an SMB is required for ascents off the mooring line on most operator policies.
Next step
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