Yes there are fish in Cyprus!

We had heard a lot about this ship wreck in Cyprus as it is ranked in the “Top Ten Dive Sites in the World”. After some research, we quickly established that Alpha Divers http://www.alpha-divers.com/index.html were the experts for the Zenobia Ship Wreck so we contacted them directly. Chris, the owner of the dive center, was very helpful, providing us with all the information we required. Moreover, he arranged for us everything we needed including accommodation, car rental, pick up/drop off from the airport, tips and ideas on what to do after diving! The dive center also has its own luxury apartments which are rented on a weekly basis (from what we heard at excellent rates).

The dive center is in Larnaca, very close to loads of hotels, restaurants, bars, supermarkets and of course the beach. From the moment we stepped in we realized that the Alpha Divers team was very organized and professional! Impeccable, brand new diving equipment, if you didn’t have your own, is a big plus! What impressed us the most was that they use one of the best and most expensive regulators available on the market (Mares Abyss). Furthermore, they pay a lot of attention to health and safety and have very experienced staff! Thanks Sam for diving with us!!

The dive centre has a big and spacious boat with which they go diving to the Zenobia daily but also to many other interesting dive sites in the surrounding areas. Cyprus has quite a few ship wrecks (the champagne yacht, the Alexandria, the HMS cricket) so it is paradise for wreck divers. Even if you don’t have the wreck diving specialty you can see a great deal at  the Zenobia. It is one of the few wrecks still intact, with all its cargo untouched! Its cargo includes 104 lorries, industrial machinery, air conditions, toys, paint containers and egg cartons which are still there, intact and in great condition. Plus the Zen, as locals call it, still has its huge propellers which, rumor has it, are worth $250,000 each!

Another thing that really impressed us was the marine life we saw around the Zen. We have not seen so much life and fish diversity in any other place in the Mediterranean. The wreck has become an artificial reef and is encrusted with sea life and numerous schools of local fish. Visibility is excellent which altogether makes it one of the best dive sites in the World.

Below are some photos of the Zen and two more beautiful dive sites we visited during our stay in Cyprus. The Green Bay, in Ayia Napa, a shallow shore dive where there is plenty of sea life and the area has several ancient amphoras from ancient ship wrecks. We also visited another dive site in Ayia Napa called “Tunnels and Caves” diving through many tunnels and submerging into caves with plenty of light throughout, a very uncommon and beautiful dive site!

Tips/Recommendations

•      Do not hesitate to try a street sandwich (ask for the special one)

•      Visit Ag. Napa or Protaras for a swim and a drink after diving

•      Go to a local tavern and try the various mezes, which are the equivalent to the

Spanish tapas, in the Cypriot cuisine

•      Car rental for one day to go around won’t cost much and is really worth it