WRECK DIVING
THE ZENOBIA

( ONE OF THE WORLDS BEST WRECK DIVE )

MS Zenobia was a 178m long Challenger-class RO-RO ferry launched in 1979 that capsized andsank close to Larnaca, in June 1980 on her maiden voyage. She now rests on her port side inapproximately 42 meters of water and was named as one of The Times top ten wreck diving sitesin the world in 2003.

Join us on the highly recommended Zenobia day trip for a wreck dive to remember. This early morning day trip (6:15am start) includes transfer to and from Larnaca Marina, two amazingguided dives on the Zenobia wreck, lunch aboard the Zenobia Queen and a coffee break to sharestories and memories.

ZENOBIA


DISCOVER ONE OF THE WORLDS

MS Zenobia was a 178m long Challenger-class RO-RO ferry launched in 1979 that capsized and sank close to Larnaca, in June 1980 on her maiden voyage. She now rests on her port side in approximately 42 meters of water and was named as one of The Times top ten wreck diving sites in the world in 2003.

Join us on the highly recommended Zenobia day trip for a wreck dive to remember. This early morning day trip (6:15am start) includes transfer to and from Larnaca Marina, two amazing guided dives on the Zenobia wreck, lunch aboard the Zenobia Queen and a coffee break to share stories and memories..

ITENERARY
1 - TRANSFER

6:15 AM Start, transfer to Larnaca Marina

2 - DIVES

2 amazing guided dives on the Zenobia wreck

3 - Lunch

BBQ open buffet Lunch aboard the Zenobia Queen

4 - Transfer and coffee Break

Return trip to Kyrenia with a coffee break to share photos, stories and memories of the dives


Are you 18 or over , find yourself dreaming of the crystal blue waters whilst at your office desk or looking for a career to help you travel the world? Why not join one of the Scuba Cyprus internship courses and become a dive professional and live the dream.

Scuba Cyprus offers a number of different professional programmes from dive guide courses to course combinations all the way up to instructor level. Your role and responsibilities are clearly outlined in our courses so you will not only be prepared as a diver but also as a teacher and dive guide.


FACTS

The Zenobia was built in Sweden  in 1979. She left Sweden on her maiden voyage, bound for  Syria on 4 May 1980, loaded with 104 tractor-trailers with cargo destined for Mediterranean and the Middle East. She passed through the Strait of Gibraltar on 22 May 1980, stopping in Crete and then Greece. On the way to Athens the captain noticed steering problems and the Zenobia began listing to port. Following checks, it was determined the list was caused by excess water that had been pumped into the ballast tanks, this was pumped out and she then departed for her second to last stop at Larnaca, Cyprus before reaching Syria.

She arrived at Larnaca on 2 June 1980,  where the ballast problem had reoccurred, engineers discovered that the computerized pumping system was pumping excess water into the side ballast tanks due to a software error, making the list progressively worse. On 4 June, the Zenobia was towed out of Larnaca harbor to prevent her becoming an obstruction should the worst happen and was left at anchor roughly 1.5 – 2 km offshore. On 5 June, with the ship listing at around 45° the captain dismissed the engineers and maintenance crew and requests from the captain to return her to Larnaca harbor were denied.

At around 2:30am 7 June 1980, the Zenobia capsized and sank in Larnaca Bay to a depth of roughly 42 meters taking her estimated £200 million worth of cargo with her. According to local legend, the Zenobia's owners never collected the insurance money and no formal investigation has ever been published. Since sinking she has become a popular dive site for visitors to Cyprus and was named one of the world's top ten dive sites by The Times in March 2003. There were no casualties in the disaster.

Equipment Maintenance

No matter what type of gear you purchase, whether it's basic or expensive, youshould take care of it properly in order to make it last for years to come.

Ask a member of staff about the SSI Equipment maintenance course and learn howto take care of your dive equipment to help it last for the years to come.