Diving the Zenobia wreck off Larnaca

The ship and how she sank

The Zenobia was built in Sweden and launched in 1979. In June 1980, on her maiden voyage to Syria, she began to list off Cyprus. The Deputy Ministry of Tourism's leaflet describes a fault in her computer-controlled stabilising system that filled the ballast tanks on the wrong side. Over the following days she leaned further and sank on 7 June 1980, about 2 km from Larnaca harbour.

She is some 172 m long and 23 m wide, and lies on her port side on a bed of sand and rock. She went down with her cargo: more than 100 lorries (the sources give 104 and 108). Much of the ship and cargo is still intact.

What you see

From the surface the hull looks like a large reef. Under water, the leaflet lists the bridge, the bow, the long cargo decks with their lorries, and the two propellers. The Cyprus Dive Center Association lists grouper, barracuda, kingfish, jacks, triggerfish, moray eels, stingrays, turtles and octopus among the life seen there. Look, don't touch: the official diving guidelines ask you never to disturb or harm marine life and to keep your fins, arms and gear clear of it.

The wreck is big. The leaflet says two dives are needed to see it: a first towards the bow, along the railing to the bridge, and a second towards the stern, the cargo deck and the propellers. That is why many dive days include two guided dives.

Depth and who it suits

The three sources we read give slightly different numbers, because they measure different parts of a ship lying on her side:

• The Deputy Ministry of Tourism's leaflet: between 16 and 42 m. It says the railing, at about 17 m, suits less experienced divers, and that the deepest parts call for a deep diver course first.
• The Cyprus Dive Center Association: 17–43 m, qualification required Open Water.
• The Larnaka Tourism Board: shallowest point 18 m, deepest 42 m, minimum certification Advanced Open Water, difficulty "Medium – Advance".

What this means for you: the depth you may dive is set by your certification and your training agency, not by the wreck. Tell the dive centre what you hold and how recently you dived, and plan the dive to match. If you are not certified, ask a dive centre about training first.

Going inside the wreck is a different dive. The leaflet says it needs careful planning and guidance, because the inside is easy to get lost in; the Larnaka Tourism Board says it needs advanced or technical experience. Stay outside unless you are trained and guided for it.

Getting there and the dive day

Dives start by boat from Larnaca; the leaflet puts the wreck a few minutes out from the marina. It describes day trips with two guided dives, and says there is parking in the harbour area. In summer many divers wear a shorty, but a warmer suit is recommended for longer and deeper dives. Water temperature runs from about 15 °C in winter to about 28 °C in summer, according to the Larnaka Tourism Board, which also says currents here are relatively low all year.

Not diving? The leaflet says glass-bottom boats also run trips over the wreck, and that non-divers can join some dive boats.

Choosing a dive centre

We don't name or rank dive centres. The Deputy Ministry of Tourism publishes a list of diving businesses certified to ISO 24803, the international standard for recreational diving services, on visitcyprus.com. Whoever you dive with, ask about the guide's qualifications, the dive plan, the briefing and what happens if you are separated from the group.

Diving responsibly

The Deputy Ministry of Tourism's guidelines for recreational divers include:

• Be fit to dive, drink plenty of water, and avoid alcohol before diving.
• Listen to the briefing, do a buddy check, and never dive alone.
• Stay within the limits of your training and your dive computer; if you don't have one, follow the dive leader.
• Never litter, and never disturb or harm marine life.
• Don't fly for at least 24 hours after the dive.
• Arrange travel and dive insurance.

The wreck area is protected: a 2008 ministerial order bans fishing by any means within 500 m of the Zenobia, to protect fish and other sea life, and the Larnaka Tourism Board describes the area as a marine protected area.

Cyprus has hyperbaric (decompression) clinics at Paphos General Hospital and Famagusta (Ammochostos) General Hospital; the Deputy Ministry of Tourism lists their numbers on its diving safety page. In an emergency, call 112.

Sources

All read on 14 October 2026. Where sources disagree, we give the range and say "about".

1. Diving at the Zenobia (leaflet, PDF), Deputy Ministry of Tourism, visitcyprus.com
2. Zenobia Wreck, Larnaka Tourism Board
3. The Zenobia wreck, Cyprus Dive Center Association
4. Diving Responsibly – Guidelines, Deputy Ministry of Tourism
5. Diving Safety – Cyprus Decompression Chambers, Deputy Ministry of Tourism
6. Diving Enterprises certified with the ISO 24803, Deputy Ministry of Tourism
7. Prohibition of Fishing or Passage of Vessels in Specified Maritime Areas Second Order, 2008 (P.I. 200/2008), FAOLEX summary
8. MS Zenobia, Wikipedia (launch year and route, cross-checked)