Today as we woke up, we all knew it was going to be a great day. Seeing as we needed to get to the Rhone crash sight as soon as possible, breakfast today was light and on the dock. We sunscreened up and were off to the dive sight. We arrived about thirty minutes later after a quick boat ride at Salt island, named for its salt, a large export from the island. After a quick briefing from Mrs. McNutt, Sea Dragon was in the water and descending to the wreck below. We surveyed the ship and then went inside. Mrs. McNutt made sure to tell us which piece of the ship we were diving so that we knew what we were viewing. Donning flashlights, we entered a section of the ship via a hole in the side and swam through, viewing all the diverse fish and corals. Upon exiting the ship we circled around and saw a large green moray eel. Following an hour surface interval during which Mrs. McNutt divulged all her knowledge of the history of the Rhone on us, we dove the rest of the ship including the boiler room. After swimming around a little, we saw a turtle. We moved closer, and an saw a large puffer fish. Later, after we further examining the wreck, we surfaced and went to lunch at Cooper Island Beach Club where we dined on the best fish and chips I’ve ever had. After lunch, we met the manager of Cooper Island Beach Club and he gave us a preservation on how they maintain their environmentally friendly standpoint, elaborating on their solar panels and rainwater collection. After viewing the solar panels our tour was complete, and we walked back to the boat and prepared for a snorkel over Seagrass beds. We didn’t see much but there were barracudas and turtles in the area. To end the day, we traveled back to the marina over some very large waves and I watched Jeff Melsheimer as he sat back and got a mouthful of seawater when we crashed into a big wave. After showering up and walking to Mad Dog restaurant, we tore into lasagna and played another corn hole tournament. Finally, we ended the day with a brief but informational talk led by Mrs. Casey McNutt about what we will be doing tomorrow during the coral replanting. She also mentioned that the goal of our program is to make our own Jesuit CP coral bed. Can’t wait for tomorrow, looking forward to our last dive in the BVI!
Photocred: Doctor Todd Gruninger
– Diving the Rhone
