Zenobia Wreck

The Zenobia wreck can be found off the shore of Larnaca city. A Swedish Challenger RO-RO (Roll on – Roll off), while on her maiden voyage and fully loaded with some 108 trucks and trailers when it capsized. Just 10 minutes into the sea you will find this ship laying on its side. Its length is 178 meters, depth of 42 meters and visibility at 20 meters. The wreck was named in 1980 as one of the top 10 wreck diving sites in the world.

How the wreck happened

While on her maiden voyage from Malmo, Sweden, on her way to Tartous, Syria, she had made her way through the Strait of Gibraltar, stopping at Crete, Piraeus and Athens before coming to Cyprus. On the way to Athens they found an issue with the steering, did their checks and found excess water in the ballast tanks. After fixing the problem they made their way to Cyprus. Arriving in Cyprus, the captain found the issue remained. As it could not be fixed — the software was the problem — Zenobia was towed out of Larnaca port, around 1.5 miles offshore, to avoid any issues inside the port. Two days later, around 2:30am, she capsized and sank. No crew was lost; the captain had dismissed them two days earlier.

Diving it

The Zenobia site allows all levels of divers to explore, from beginners to advanced. The outside of the dive site is full of wonderful species of fish, and you may spot turtles, stingray, octopus and moray eels. Much of the cargo — trucks and trailers — is still intact, which keeps divers coming: the propellers, the ro-ro doors, the cargo, the bridge, the bow, the cafeteria and the accommodation areas.

If you are not a diver you can still see it from a glass-bottom boat. On days when the sea is calm you can make out some of the wreck, along with plenty of fish and — if you are lucky — a turtle or two.