Salt Island & the RMS Rhone Wreck: A BVI Snorkel Guide

Ask a longtime BVI diver which wreck they’d take a friend to see and the answer is almost always the same: the RMS Rhone, sitting in three sections off Salt Island since a hurricane caught her mid-voyage in 1867. You don’t need a tank to appreciate it, either. Part of the wreck sits shallow enough for snorkelers to swim right over the rudder and propeller, and the island above it has its own quiet, strange history that most day-trippers never hear.

We stop at Salt Island on select charters when conditions cooperate, and it’s consistently one of the destinations guests remember most — not because it’s flashy, but because it’s genuinely different from a beach day. It’s the kind of stop that turns a good charter into a trip people are still talking about a year later.

The Story of the RMS Rhone

The Rhone was a 310-foot Royal Mail steamer, one of the more advanced ships of her era, anchored near Peter Island in October 1867 waiting out what looked like the tail end of hurricane season. Her captain, believing the worst had passed, made the call that would seal her fate. A second, more powerful storm swept in on October 29 and 30, and the Rhone attempted to run for open water rather than ride it out at anchor. She struck Black Rock Point off Salt Island and broke apart, going down with most of her crew and passengers.

The wreck sat largely forgotten for a century until divers rediscovered it and Hollywood found it too — the Rhone served as the primary filming location for the 1977 film The Deep, starring Jacqueline Bisset and Nick Nolte, which introduced the site to a much wider audience than BVI sailors alone.

Diving the Wreck vs. Snorkeling the Wreck

The Rhone broke into a bow section and a stern section, and they sit at very different depths — which is exactly why the site works for both divers and snorkelers on the same trip.

The bow lies deeper, reaching around 82 feet, and is generally treated as an advanced dive given the depth and currents that can run through the site. Local dive operators typically want to see a logged dive within the past few years before taking guests down to it. The stern section is a different story: it ranges from about 65 feet up to as shallow as 15 feet, and the shallowest parts — including the ship’s massive rudder and her 15-foot propeller — are within reach of a strong snorkeler on a calm day. You’re not going to swim through the ship’s interior without scuba gear, but you can hang above the shallow stern and get a genuine sense of scale that a reef never gives you.

The wreck sits within what’s recognized as the Rhone’s national marine park designation, which is part of why it’s stayed in as good a condition as a 150-plus-year-old iron wreck can be.

Salt Island Itself: A Quiet, Strange Bit of BVI History

The island above the wreck has its own story, and it’s worth a mention before you write it off as just a dive marker on a chart. Salt Island was named for exactly what you’d guess — shallow ponds on the island produced salt that was harvested and shipped out for generations, and at points Salt Island had the most productive salt pond of any of the Virgin Islands, with harvests reported up to 1,000 pounds a year.

There’s a tradition tied to that history that still gets a mention every so often: residents once paid an annual “rent” of a pound of salt to the Crown for use of the land, a custom that dates back generations. According to island accounts, that rent was later forgiven in gratitude after Salt Island residents helped rescue survivors from the Rhone wreck in 1867 — the same storm that put the ship on the seafloor below. The ceremonial version of the tradition has continued on and off since, including a salt-breaking ceremony held in 2016 to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday.

Today, no one lives on Salt Island year-round, though a handful of former residents still maintain homes there and visit seasonally. It’s a low, quiet island without the beach bars or resorts you’ll find elsewhere in the BVI — which, if you’re the kind of traveler drawn to a good story as much as a good reef, is part of the appeal.

What a Stop at Salt Island Looks Like

• Snorkel over the shallow stern section where visibility and depth allow it — your captain will read conditions on the day and let you know what’s realistic.
• Spot the rudder and propeller, the wreck’s most recognizable features from the surface.
• Ask about the salt ponds if you’re curious about the island’s history — our crew has been telling this story for a while and it’s one of the better ones in these waters.
• Pair it with a nearby stop like Peter Island or Cooper Island so the day has both a history-and-snorkel stop and a beach stop.

How the Rhone Compares to Other BVI Snorkel Sites

Most BVI snorkeling happens over reef and rock — colorful, alive, but visually similar from one bay to the next after a while. The Rhone is different because you’re swimming over a man-made structure with a genuine story attached to it, which tends to stick in people’s memory longer than another pretty reef does. If you want the fuller picture of where else to get in the water on a BVI trip, our guide to the best snorkeling spots in the BVI rounds up the reef-and-rock side of things so you can weigh a wreck day against a classic reef day.

We’d also gently push back on the idea that you have to choose diving over snorkeling to appreciate the Rhone. Divers get the full structure and the swim-throughs; snorkelers get the scale of the rudder and propeller from above and a clean view down into the wreck when the water’s calm. Neither experience is the lesser version — they’re just different angles on the same 150-year-old story.

Planning Your Visit by Private Charter

Salt Island’s exposure to current and swell means conditions matter more here than at a protected bay, so we build it into an itinerary when the day’s forecast supports it rather than promising it as a fixed stop every time. It fits naturally into either a half day charter paired with one nearby destination, or a full day charter if you want to combine it with two or three other stops across the BVI. If wreck history and snorkeling is the priority for your group, tell us when you book and we’ll route accordingly.

Practical Details

• What’s snorkelable: the shallow stern section, roughly 15 to 65 feet depending on exact position — conditions dependent
• What requires scuba: the deeper bow section, around 82 feet, generally treated as an advanced dive by local operators
• Good to pair with: Peter Island or Cooper Island for a beach stop alongside the history-and-wreck stop
• What to bring: a well-fitted mask, reef-safe sunscreen, water shoes if you plan to get in and out near rock, and a waterproof camera if you have one
• Conditions note: current can run stronger here than at protected beaches — your captain will make the call on the day

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be a certified diver to see the RMS Rhone?

No. The shallow stern section is snorkelable by a reasonably strong swimmer in good conditions. The deeper bow section is a scuba dive and generally considered advanced.

Is the RMS Rhone the same wreck from the movie The Deep?

Yes. The 1977 film starring Jacqueline Bisset and Nick Nolte was filmed primarily at this wreck site, which is part of why it’s one of the most visited dive and snorkel sites in the Caribbean.

Does anyone live on Salt Island today?

No one lives there year-round anymore, though some descendants of former residents keep homes on the island and visit periodically.

Can we visit Salt Island on every charter?

It depends on the day’s sea conditions, since the site is more exposed than a protected bay. We’ll always give you an honest read on whether it’s a good day for it when you book.

What else is near Salt Island for a full day out?

Peter Island and Cooper Island both sit close by and make natural pairings — one for beach time, one for history and snorkeling. Norman Island’s caves are also within range on a longer charter; see our Norman Island snorkeling guide for what that stop looks like.

Salt Island isn’t a place you visit for a postcard beach — it’s a place you visit for a story that’s been sitting on the seafloor for over 150 years, and for a stretch of quiet coastline that most cruise-ship itineraries never come close to. If that’s the kind of BVI day you’re after, get in touch and we’ll build it into your charter.