For many people, Cyprus is a great destination when it comes to diving. The crystal blue waters, negligible tides and fantastic dive sites puts Cyprus high on anyone’s destination list. One thing the island has to offer divers is variety; whether your preference is reef diving, a bit of tunnelling or exploring wrecks, there’s something for everyone.
Here are just a selection of the best underwater wrecks that you can explore off the coast of Eastern Cyprus.
Fraggle
We start with a dive that many may not even consider as a Best Wreck. Sat in just 17m of water off the coast of Dhekelia, the Fraggle is a small barge full of boulders. It was part of a mission building up a sea wall at Dhekelia’s Power Station and it collided with another. In an economy of effort, they cut the barge free and allowed it to sink.
Diving onto the Fraggle you can see the hole in it’s hull and it has become a home to marine life. A lot of spear-fishers use the site to hunt Lionfish, which usually congregate beneath the stern. Alongside the barge itself there is another metal framing construct and an engineer’s table, which proves great for various diver training. A short fin from the Fraggle are the remnants of a helicopter, which is often frequented by turtles.
Like I said, it’s questionable as to whether the Fraggle can earn a Best Wreck accolade. However, with the plethora of marine life, various structures to explore and potential turtle sighting at depths accessible to all qualified divers, it is definitely worth a visit!
Lef 1
Again, similarly to the Fraggle, the Lef is a small barge which is hard to classify as a good wreck alone. It was sunk in December 2019, along with the Elpida by the Larnaca Tourism Board as an artificial wreck. Despite still being relatively new, it has already began to attract a plethora of marine life.
The sandy sea bed sits at no more than 13.5m, however if you drop into the stern of the barge, you can pick up 13.8m. This makes the site a fantastic introduction to wrecks for BSAC Ocean Divers or PADI Open Water Divers. There is some amphora on the site, which has been scattered by local dive companies.
Another benefit of the Lef, and slightly straying from the ‘wreck’ heritage of this post, is the nearby reef. The amphora here is over a much wider area and provides refuge to more marine life. Baby grouper, damsels, rainbow wrasse and even the occasional octopus have all been sighted around the reef, amongst the pottery. We’ve even seen a school of tuna out in the blue, so you never know what you’ll come across!
Liberty & Nemesis
These have to be coupled together, and even then they’re a stretch to include in this list. Located a short transit off the Protaras, these vessels were sunk over a decade ago and have become a home for marine life.
There is a small (and by small, I do mean small) amount of penetration that can be done in both. To get the full benefit, you really want to be on a twinset and qualified to dive to 30m. This way, both can be done in one 45-60 minute dive. We were given 45 minutes on each and struggled to spend longer than 30 minutes down there!
Still, those 30 minutes were spent being able to appreciate the jellyfish, nudibranch and lionfish. Definitely worth a visit to be able to tick off a list, but unlike some of the other wrecks on this list, revisiting the site would not be recommended on a weekly basis!
HMS Cricket
Located between Dhekelia Power Station and Pyla ranges, the Cricket is probably the most travelled ship on this list. Its history dates back to 1915 when the British gunboat first launched. It was designed for use on rivers, where it was used in the First World War in the Mesopotamian Campaign. She also saw service during the Russian Civil War in operations on the Dvina River between 1919 and 1920. Despite being constructed for river use, she was sent out to China during the Second World War. She was crippled in an attack by the Italian Air Force in 1941, then later declared a ‘write off’. She was moved to Egypt to be stripped for spares, before heading to Cyprus as target practice for the RAF. It was here where she disappeared for a number of years, before being discovered by divers off the coast of Dhekelia.
As you can see from her history, the Cricket has a great back story, increasing the attraction of the dive. She sits in just over 30m of water completely upside down. From this angle, you can truly appreciate the flat hull and large rudders, designed for river operations. You can also appreciate how uncomfortable long ocean passages to China would have been!
Some years ago there was a good amount of penetration possible, however less so now due to her age. Nonetheless, you can swim underneath her on the seabed with a torch and thirst for adrenaline. Around the rudders has become a resting place for numerous lion fish, so care must be taken throughout the site. Cricket is a fantastic dive for recreational divers who take interest in wrecks with quite a history.
Elpida
Cyprus’ newest wreck sunk in December 2019 as an artificial reef has quickly become one of the island’s greatest underwater attractions. Aside from being sunk to attract marine life, it has also been cleared out to provide an interesting dive for divers.
The max depth for the site is a little under 30m. On a recent dive I managed to get down to 28.4m, however some people have found depths of up to 33m! Inside the main cargo hold, you can explore two levels, with plenty of space for a dive group. Torches are highly recommended, as the silt is easily kicked up by groups. This means, particularly in the depths of the hull, visibility can drop to 5m or less!
The bow of the ship has a dark swim through, from which you climb a set of ladders and emerge along the top of the cargo deck. At the stern, there are more areas for divers to explore. Be sure to check out the engine room, as well as the steps up to the helm. The passageways are easily passable, even for twinset and side-mount divers. Whilst still a relatively new wreck, the Elpida is already proving itself as a great wreck for divers of all levels.
Zenobia
Ranked as one of the top 10 wrecks in the world, the Zenobia is a Swedish ferry that sunk back in 1980. Fast forward the history lesson and today it stands as one of Cyprus’ greatest attractions. A short boat ride from Larnaca, from one of the many dive companies on island, brings you to the well buoyed site.
Teeming with marine life, you can dive the Zenobia hundreds of times, and still be surprised with what you see. There are multiple car decks to explore, where vehicles are scattered throughout. For divers who enjoy wreck penetration, there is so much to see and two dives are rarely the same! Even for newly qualified divers, the top of the wreck (which is actually the starboard side) is accessible at around 18m. From here you can look down towards the 43m seabed, see the fallen lifeboats along the wreck and may even be joined by turtles.
Aside from turtles, you will be met by hungry grouper, banded bream, damsels, lionfish, parrot fish and even shoals of barracuda! It is very difficult to be disappointed by any dive on the Zenobia, regardless of how many times you have been! Even this depth progression dive I had on site in March 2020 showcases a snippet of what can be seen.
So that concludes an introduction to just some of the wrecks you can find along the Cyprus coastline. There are so many more dive sites to explore around the island. If this has whet your appetite, be sure to check out my other diving posts.