Cyprus Trip Report - November 2024

Last November, Tom and I took a personal trip to Cyprus to dive the wreck of the Zenobia.

Normally, I don't write reports for personal trips, but this one was so enjoyable that I thought it worth sharing with the club!

Tom & Richard

The Zenobia is the wreck of a roll-on/roll-off ferry that sank in 1980 due to electronic failures with its ballast control system. To paraphrase our dive guide, it’s now referred to as a “roll-on/roll-off/roll-over ferry!” 

Our flight to Larnaca took about 4.5 hours direct from Heathrow. Once we landed, we took a 10-minute taxi ride to the dive center. We chose dive-in catering for all types of diving, including technical diving. The centre was well-equipped and gave us a warm welcome from the start. After setting up our gear for the next day, we walked north to our hotel.

Larnaca isn’t as commercialized as Paphos, Ayia Napa, or other popular spots, but had everything we needed for our trip, including a great pint of Guinness! The food and drinks were reasonably priced, generously portioned, and there were plenty of options to keep us happy all week. Cyprus is famous for its baked goods and coffee, so we made sure to sample as much as we could—and we wholeheartedly agree with the praise!

Now, back to the diving...

Dive-in has a “no-lift” policy, meaning the guides handle the transport of our gear from the centre to the boat, which is done by pick-up truck. I was a bit concerned about my delicate CCR, but it was carefully handled and secured, which immediately put my mind at ease.

From the dive centre, we walked about 150 meters south to the harbour, where the boat is moored. Our gear was already loaded on board, so all we needed to do was get ourselves ready (or into our drysuits, as we did). The boat ride to the wreck was about 10 minutes, as it’s only 1.5 km offshore. The boat returns between dives, which allowed us to enjoy a variety of baked goods in between!

The first time we hit the water and looked down, the sheer size of the Zenobia was overwhelming—it’s a massive wreck! The ship rests on its port side, so we descended to the starboard side, with a touch down at around 17 meters. The seabed beyond the wreck reaches depths of about 38-40 meters

This image was originally posted to Flickr by dronepicr   at https://flickr.com/photos/132646954@N02/41852490780 (archive). Reviewed 05/01/19 by FlickreviewR 2 and confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0.

Over the five days of diving, we did 10 dives, each lasting around 60-70 minutes. We explored something different each time, starting from the exterior and working our way up to the engine room and auxiliary engine room. There’s a lot to see on the outside too, as the ferry had an open top deck at the rear, where multiple lorries are still parked on the wreck.

It’s hard to pick a highlight as every dive was amazing and reminded me why we dive in the first place! However, one standout moment was exploring the cargo hold and finding an American-style cab-over lorry still in place, with its exhaust stack and white steering wheel clearly visible. Even more incredible was discovering a vehicle lightbulb spare kit still in the glovebox of that lorry, untouched for over 40 years—it felt magical!

As for the marine life, we saw a variety of creatures: Grouper, Barracuda, Triggerfish, Rainbow Wrasse, Parrotfish, Two-banded Bream, Goatfish, Pink Flabellina nudibranchs, cucumbers, and even a Turtle (named Bob). There were surely more, but these were the highlights.

As for the wreck itself, there were 104 lorries carrying various cargo, ranging from eggs and sleeping bags to an industrial turbine and electrical switchgear, along with the captain’s car, and, of course, the Zenobia itself.

It was an unforgettable experience, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has the chance!