RMS Rhone

The Rhone was the pride of the Royal Mail line, a fast iron steamer barely two years old when the San Narciso hurricane caught her at anchor in the Virgin Islands in October 1867. Her captain tried to run for open water between the storm's two halves; the second blast drove her onto Black Rock Point at Salt Island, where cold seawater reaching her boilers tore the ship in two. Most of those aboard were lost, many of them passengers lashed into their bunks against the storm, and the islanders of Salt Island buried the dead. A century later the wreck starred as the underwater set for the 1977 film The Deep, and in 1980 the territory made her the centerpiece of its first marine national park. Today she is the Caribbean's most celebrated wreck dive: the bow section lies on its starboard side, remarkably intact, its foremast and crow's nest still attached, while the shallower stern scatters into a debris field of propeller, aft mast, and the famous brass porthole divers rub for luck.

How she sank: Driven onto Black Rock Point, Salt Island, by the San Narciso hurricane of 29 October 1867; broke in two and sank.

Condition: Bow section largely intact after 150 years; stern flattened, with propeller, driveshaft and boilers plainly recognizable

Penetration: Limited. The open bow section offers a wide, light-filled swim-through along the intact hull that guides run routinely; no enclosed penetration remains. Entering any overhead environment requires specific training — a wreck certification at minimum, technical wreck training for full penetration.

Recommended certification: Advanced Open Water for the bow; the stern section suits newly certified divers

Current: Mild · Visibility: 15–30 m

Marine life: Resident green turtles, tarpon hanging in the shade of the bow, yellowtail snapper, squirrelfish in the hull recesses, lobster and octopus in the debris, and an old barracuda that patrols the stern.

Hazards: Boat traffic on busy days, mild current in the channel, fire coral on the wreckage

Centerpiece of the Wreck of the Rhone Marine Park, the BVI's first marine national park — moorings only, no anchoring, nothing may be removed

Every artifact, down to the silver teaspoon set in the coral and the lucky porthole, is protected by park law — touch lightly and take nothing.