|
My very favorite night dive is the penetration into the under decks of the Royal Mail Steamship Rhone, which went down in the greatest Hurricane ever to be recorded in hitting the Caribbean. The Rhone had snapped its anchor cable and tried to make a run for the open sea, when it clipped the reef at Salt Island, and the inrushing sea water blew its boilers. The magnificent ship lies in the shallow water with its stern at snorkeling depth and its bow in 90 feet.
The day dive is full of swarms of aggressive fish demanding a handout, an occasional passing turtle--all captured on my most recent Rhone Dive video, and "Grecian Columns" the upturned ribs of the skeleton ship. But at night, everything turns eerily magic, with the colorful parrotfish sleeping in their mucus cocoons, the puffer fish swelling up to threatening size, urchins strolling along the companionways, and dogface snappers lurking by the divers awaiting the divelights which may shine on something as delectable as an octopus to snatch right out from under their strobe lenses.
The Rhone dive remains a favorite of mine, and it seems different every time. Come on down to Sir Francis Drake's Channel and have a look, not too far from Dead Man's Chest (Yo Ho, Ho! and a bottle of rum!)
Basket Star | Diving the Rhone