RMS Rhone & Salt Island · British Virgin Islands · Wreck
Chikuzen
A 1988 refrigeration ship at 23 m, a long run offshore
Area photo: Cayeldo · CC BY-SA 3.0
A Korean refrigeration vessel that sank in 1988 halfway between Tortola and Anegada, lying in about 23 metres of water. It is one of only two genuinely remote dives in the territory, very hard to locate without GPS coordinates, and a long run from the harbours rather than a stop on a standard two-tank morning.
Also known as MV Chikuzen.
Where it is and how deep
18.5650° N, 64.4750° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Everything about this dive starts with the ride. The wreck sits halfway between Tortola and Anegada, and it is very hard to locate without GPS coordinates, so crews run to a stored position rather than lining up on a shoreline. Like the other main sites in the territory it carries a National Parks Trust mooring, so once you are tied on the descent is straight down the line to the hull at about 23 metres.
The vessel is a refrigeration ship that went down in 1988, and it is the whole dive: this is a single wreck rather than a reef site, so the hull is your only reference for the entire bottom time. Depth sits at about 23 metres, past Open Water limits and short enough on no-decompression time to be worth planning. Work out the route before you splash, and come back up the mooring line rather than making a free ascent in open water.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Chikuzen
- Type
- Korean refrigeration vessel
- Sunk
- 1988
- Cause
- Cause of the sinking is not published in the available sources
- Lies
- In about 23 m of water, halfway between Tortola and Anegada
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime |
Season follows RMS Rhone & Salt Island: Nov–Jun is calmest and clearest; Aug–Oct hurricane season brings swell that can close the exposed Rhone site entirely.
Know before you go
- Very hard to locate without GPS and set in open water between two islands: surface away from the line and the boat may not see you, so ascend on the mooring.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Chikuzen wreck?+
The wreck lies in about 23 metres of water, halfway between Tortola and Anegada. That is beyond the standard Open Water limit, and the remote position makes it an advanced dive regardless of the number.
Why is the Chikuzen hard to dive?+
It sits in open water with no landmark to run in on and is very hard to locate without GPS coordinates, so operators only run the trip when conditions and demand line up.
Sources
- Diving in the British Virgin Islands — Wikivoyage
More dive sites in RMS Rhone & Salt Island
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Reef
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Pinnacle
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Reef
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Reef
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Wall
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