CYPRUS. Part II from LIMASSOL to PROTARAS

CYPRUS

Part II from LIMASSOL to PROTARAS

Text and photos Wojciech Zgoła

THE END OF SEPTEMBER 2022 WAS APPROACHING.

HALF OF OUR STAY IN CYPRUS WAS ALREADY OVER.

At the restaurant Kyrenia Fish Tavern located on the Mediterranean shore we were summing up our dives in the Limassol area, where there is a highly recommended diving base Blue Thunder. We went crazy and ordered a seafood plate for 4 people and white local wine. There was a light breeze blowing from the water. From there we shot an online dive for Perfect Diver's FB wall.

We were tired but very satisfied with the so far discovery of Aphrodite Island. However, there were still exciting explorations ahead. Near Larnaca, Zenobia was awaiting us, and in Protaras we wanted to dive in Green Bay. To top it off, we also desired to take a walk in fins at MUSAN, an underwater museum in Ayia Napa.

We got up at 6 in the morning. The sun had also recently risen. The day promised to be warm and sunny. We arrived at the port of Larnaca 5 minutes ahead of time, parked the car and met our guide Andreas, from Scubaholics Cyprus Diving Centre. It was with him that we dived on the wreck.

ZENOBIA, Length – 172 m, Width – 26 m, Depth – 42 m

The vessel was built in Sweden in 1979, and set out on her maiden voyage in the first half of 1980. The route was to be from Malmö to Tartus, Syria. Initially, the cruise went well. The first stop was in Crete and the second in Athens. It was between the stops that the captain discovered a problem. There was an excess of water that was mistakenly pumped into the side ballast tanks. Zenobia sailed on, however, and ended up in the Cypriot waters near Larnaca. It was June the 2nd, 1980.The repair unfortunately failed and the ship was diverted 1.5 miles from the port, where it was anchored. Zenobia began to heel dangerously to the port side. The captain decided to evacuate. It was the night of June 7, 1980 when the ship went down, and to this day she lies on her port side, on a sandy bottom. The wreck begins at a depth of about 16 meters.

There were about 30 divers on board, so jumping into the water was done successively and at appropriate safe intervals. Finally, the immersion took place. We slightly corrected the inflators, we cleared our sinuses, and freely and calmly we descended just above the wreck, which was perfectly visible.

Andreas was watching us, and after just a moment we swam following his directions, looking sharply around. There were many smaller fish around us. We descended towards the screw at a depth of 30 m. In the distance, large groupers showed up penetrating their territory. We checked the wreck’s hold, swam past the sunken trucks and the lionfish guarding them. The latter had made their home here for good.

During the surface break between dives, we spoke with Tony, among others, who told us and showed us on his smartphone the twin ship of Zenobia, which still runs under the Polish flag. One has to go to Tri-City someday and cover it somehow ;)

After nearly 2 hours we jumped into the sea for the second dive. It was a bit shallower, we reached a depth of 27 meters and visited, among other things, the "hotel" part of the ship. We observed large, sometimes meter-long, groupers. You can see that they rule. You can also see barracuda, trigger fish, jackfish and sometimes even turtles. Returning to the drop line and swimming to the border of the safety stop, we also admired freedivers.

Zenobia captivated us very much. It is such a "must see" on the list of dive spots of Cyprus, Europe and even the world. The ship is included in the TOP 10 vessels to see. It is a large wreck, to which, if you wanted to penetrate it well, you would have to devote at least 10 dives. Personally, every time I am in Cyprus I do at least 2 dives on Zenobia.

The next day was again interesting and full of excitement, both underwater and on land. Overnight the weather changed a bit. It was still warm and sunny, but the wind appeared, and thus the waves. A boat was waiting for us from early morning to take us to two dive spots. Earlier in the evening we moved to the Ayia Napa area. We were diving with OceanLab ECO-Diving Centre. Upon boarding, we were told that we had to hurry up, as the waves would get higher by the hour. Quite quickly and efficiently, despite the boat’s rolling, we put on our wetsuits and gear. We had a short briefing and we jumped into the water. And at a depth of 24 m the shipwreck "Kyrenia" was waiting for us. Good visibility at 25 m made it possible to see the wreck, which we were to explore in a moment, practically immediately after submerging.

The ship was built by Hellenic Shipyard, named "Knossos" and put into service in 1978, as a patrol boat of the Greek Navy. In 2000, it was transferred to the Cypriot Navy, where it was renamed "Kyrenia". After a dozen years, she was qualified for an artificial reef project and in 2015 came to rest in the Ayia Napa area on her keel, on the sandy bottom.

We came across a grouper, lionfish, schools of typical Mediterranean fish, snails. We penetrated the wreck inside and outside. It was a pleasant dive without additional divers.

Now, after a short break, sailing near MUSAN, we changed our cylinders for the full ones. The maximum depth does not exceed 10 m. We swam at first in a line formation, and then separated keeping a safe distance. The Ayia Napa Underwater Sculpture Museum consists of nearly 100 submerged sculptures. They were made by Jason de Caires Taylor. We admire the underwater forest, human figures, some having a bush instead of a head, children looking at the world only through a camera lens. The sculptures are inspired by nature and man. The creators hope that through the museum, the biodiversity of the area will be enriched over time.

The underwater exhibition, slowly becoming a habitat for underwater life, is also a story about modern people, presented from the perspective of an anonymous street. Ubiquitous cameras monitoring our lives, mutual surveillance and praying for a better, richer, but virtual life? Everyone has a different feeling diving between the presented sculptures. MUSAN is a contemporary world that tempts with form. Time passes differently here, as if it was running slower, although at the end we are still waiting to emerge.

Already at ease, after hanging up our gear and wetsuits to dry, we went into a nearby fish restaurant (Fish House Restaurant) near the port of Ayia Napa for a fresh and tasty meal, and to talk among ourselves about diving. /Read more about food in Cyprus in our Underwater Guide./

Before departing from Paphos and flying back to Poland we also had a day of diving, and as it turned out later, it was snorkelling in the Green Bay area. It is worth mentioning that the area from Ayia Napa to Protaras belongs to Cape Greco National Forest Park. It has some of the most beautiful natural attractions on the Island of Aphrodite. There are numerous hiking and biking trails. Diving is fantastic here. Cape Greco is the easternmost part of Cyprus, in a beautiful location, with diving opportunities at several interesting dive spots.

We dived in Green Bay with the Cyprus Diving Centre, and our guide was Tamara, a Swiss woman. Lots of basic and intro courses are held here, as the location is ideal for that as well. The entrance is rocky, then sandy. Slowly it gets deeper. This is where turtles are most often encountered. Diving does not exceed the 10 m depth. Some broken and glued fragments of amphorae lie here. Nearby is a patio, where statues and columns imitating Roman times have been arranged in human-sized ratios of 1:0.5. One can find here, in addition to turtles, barracuda, seahorses, cornetfish and a variety of fish. I recommend being here as early as possible. The parking lot fills up quickly with cars, lately the place has been visited in great numbers.

After our dives, we stayed here a little longer. When it became overcrowded and the sun was setting, we entered the water with only scuba diving kits and swam a good hour diving on held breath.

There are dozens of dive sites in Cyprus. I highly recommend The Island of Aphrodite, especially to those who like active exploration above and below the water. Everyone, regardless of the level of training, will find something for themselves here. In addition, this is the land of almost per-

petual sunshine and you can dive all year round, although not all bases are open between November and April. The Mediterranean Sea here is pleasantly warm, the waters are clear, sometimes reaching up to several tens of meters of visibility. It is worth adding that Cyprus is also an ideal place to start your adventure with diving, which I warmly encourage you to do.