News
BVI Wreck Week – Diving the RMS Rhone (Part 2)
You cannot talk about BVI Wreck Week, or diving in the British Virgin Islands, without spending some time on the jewel in their crown of wreck diving – the RMS Rhone. So this blog is going to be dedicated to a wreck dive that we were happy to dive three times on our trip and would have been happy to dive every day!
The RMS Rhone was a UK Royal Mail Ship wrecked off the coast of Salt Island on 29 October 1867 in a deadly hurricane. Now it is the most popular dive site in the region. The dive briefings for the site are filled with stories of the fate of the ship and some eye-opening tales since.
The wreck and surrounding area become the British Virgin Island’s first national marine park in 1980. Many of the underwater segments of the 1977 thriller The Deep were filmed on the Rhone, requiring actors Jacqueline Bisset, Nick Nolte and Robert Shaw to learn how to scuba dive.
You’ll need at least two dives to fully experience the RMS Rhone. The ship split apart on sinking and the bow drifted just a little before sinking. The two halves are about 100 feet apart with the bow sitting in deeper water (around 25 meters / 80ft). So you are best to explore the bow fully on a single dive and then head to the stern on your second dive.
Whilst the history, artifacts and stories from the movies are absorbing, as soon as we got underwater to dive her, it was the incredible marine life that had us hooked. Two seahorses had made their home right at the bow of the wreck. Stingrays lay buried in the sandy sea bed. The structure is covered in colourful corals and sponges. Schools of fish occupy the overhangs and metal remains. We saw sharks on all three dives and were treated to a huge spotted eagle ray gliding over the wreck. Lobsters waved their antennae at us from every crevice. Life is everywhere you look on this dive.
The marine park status has certainly ensured that this is one of the best wrecks we have dived in the Caribbean. Whilst we did not get the chance to do this – we bet it would make an awesome night dive.
Check out our next blog to find out more about the diving and watch out for our full feature in the next edition of Dive Travel Adventures Magazine in July!
For more information about BVI Wreck Week 2024 visit their website here.
Nick and Caroline were hosted by BVI Wreck Week
The Moorings provided their yacht for the week
Host Dive Centres:
Blogs
Seal Encounter Dives at Lundy Island
Voted No. 3 on the Top 10 Ultimate British Isles Bucket List by The Independent, these dives offer the closest marine mammal encounter available to divers in the UK. Friendly and playful, respectful divers are often rewarded by incredible interaction with the Lundy Seals.
Easy Divers has been running guided dive trips to Lundy for nearly 10 years and offers dive equipment hire if required. Trips depart from the stunning harbour town of Ilfracombe in North Devon and Dolphins are often seen during the boat passage.
In addition to diving, Ilfracombe is a great base from which to hike the South West Coast Path, dip into surfing at the UK’s first World Surf reserve, enjoy other water sports or head to Exmoor National Park.
Easy Divers also runs a diver-friendly guest house, with a discount for diving customers and kit rinsing and drying facilities.
The Seal encounter dive sites are shallow and sheltered and are suitable for divers of all levels, making them a great introduction to British diving.
Exclusive Offer for Scubaverse Subscribers
Use your exclusive Scubaverse discount code scubaverse10% before the end of June and join us for a Seal encounter dive trip to Lundy Island, on any trip date with availability this Summer. Visit https://www.easydiversnorthdevon.co.uk/lundy-dive-trips/seal-encounter-dive-trips/ and enter code scubaverse10% at the on-line check out.
Trips book out well ahead, so book now to avoid disappointment. To save 10% on any 1 night stay at our guest house, please call 07833 020424. We offer free cancellation for divers who book a 1 night stay, if we have to re-schedule due to unsafe weather.
Join us for Britain’s best marine mammal diving experience!
Trips run from end of May to mid-October and are bookable via email at info@easydiversnorthdevon.co.uk, on-line via the Easy Divers website, www.easydiversnorthdevon.co.uk, or call 07833 020424 for more info
Blogs
DAN Introduces Continuing Education for Dive Professionals
Divers Alert Network® (DAN®), the world’s leading dive safety organization, has launched a new program called Continuing Education for Dive Professionals. This free program focuses on risk mitigation and is now available to all dive professionals via DAN E-Learning. DAN expects this program will not only enhance divers’ safety but will also help reduce dive operators’ liability risk.
To encourage participation, DAN is offering discounted premiums on individual professional liability and group professional liability insurance to all DAN members who complete the e-learning, which can be done in about an hour.
Any DAN member who has completed the e-learning will be able to claim a discount of nearly 5% on their annual liability policy. This is in addition to the 5% discount that DAN members already receive. If you are on a group professional liability policy, your completion of the e-learning may count toward a discount on the group professional liability premium.
This year we partnered with Tec Clark to create the content of the program. In the future, we will combine Tec’s material with new material created by DAN.
Click here to learn more and access the e-learning.
To qualify for the discount, the e-learning must be completed before you renew your professional liability insurance policy. Refunds will not be given.
We hope you find this program educational and worthwhile. If you have any questions, or need assistance, please contact DAN at liabilityinsuance@dan.org.
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