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The good thing about a 9.45am flight to Cyprus is that you have an afternoon
arrival and the chance to get a dive in as soon as you arrive,
the bad news is that you have to get up at 5.30am for the
7.45am check in at Heathrow. Still, it beats going to work.
zenobia plan
The Dive In staff met us at Larnaka Airport and took us the
10 min journey to the shop and our accommodation conveniently
located directly above. There was no time to bugger about,
the sun was setting and if we wanted to check out the wreck
with some daylight we had to kit up NOW!
It seemed churlish to argue. 30 mins later we were gliding
out to the site in Dive In’s new catamaran and enjoying
the 28 degrees C. 7 mins later we rolled over the side and
got our first glimpse of this 10,000 ton beauty. 1 minute
later Malcolm had his weight belt passed down from the boat
and buckled up. We were off.
 happy
team
Over the next 4 days we completed 11 dives, either in under
or deep inside The Zen’, which deservedly has been voted
one of the top ten wrecks of the world (#7).
Sunk off Cyprus in 1980 following ‘problems’
with the software of the ballast systems, and at its deepest
in 42m of water, the wreck of the Zenobia is intact. Laying
on her port side, over one hundred articulated lorries and
the Captains Lada are stacked hap-hazardly throughout the
vehicle and outer decks, with cargos ranging from eggs and
paint to air-conditioning units, light bulbs, sleeping bags
and toys.
The dives are as adventurous as you dare (and the guides
allow). It would take two 40 minute swims around the bow,
bridge and stern to get a basic understanding of the general
layout. However even after 10 dives and with the deck plans
clearly on show in the shop we were still having heated debates
over where the middle vehicle deck was and how the ramp served
the upper deck. With the ship angled at 90 degrees to its
intended position, its very easy to get disorientated, a point
to consider at all times.
 view
of the prop
The stern gave an excellent photo opportunity for the props
and rudder whilst the rear ramp doors are a haven for 100’s
of small fish that shelter from the frequent passes by the
Barracuda. Mid sections hold the funnels with superstructure
that connect the two. Twisted truck remnants on the open vehicle
decks hang at precarious angles, chained to the steel deck.
Plastic tarpaulins cling to the wagon supports, tyres are
still fully inflated.
Moving forward you reach the cavernous opening to the upper
vehicle deck, the starboard side (now the shallowest part
of the wreck) having a clear but utterly dark void owing to
the lorries shifting when it listed to port and sank. This
quickly became known as the ‘Big ‘ole’.
Further toward the bow and you pass over the accommodation
levels and the bridge before finally reaching the pointy bit
and the foredeck with its huge anchor still in place on the
deck.
As soon as the guides were confident that we were up to the
job we were taken into the wreck. It was awesome, but you’ll
have to try for yourself to really understand what an unbelievable
experience it is. I have bumped a lot of rust in the UK but
this is a full on ‘proper’ wreck. The restaurant
still holds the steel servery shelf where truck drivers slid
their trays along to get their calamari egg and chips and
a coffee from the still intact drinks machine on the counter.
The microwave and rotary toaster sit intact and the carpet
is peeling gently from the now vertical floor.
Weaving through the accommodation decks you access the service
shaft where goods were craned down. With a good torch and
a four dimensional sense of direction you can make it through
to the upper vehicle decks. This is 5 Star wreck penetration
and not for the claustrophobic nor faint hearted (or unguided).
Should you happen to bump into divers venturing towards you,
the scene is reminiscent of the film The Abyss, as torch beams
scan from side to side, arcing through the pitch black.
 deco
station
All dives ended on the deco station on the bow with horizontal
bars at 6m & 3m roped from the wreck to avoid swell on
the surface. Hanging here you still get a great view of the
wreck and on one occasion a fly past by a Russian submarine
(I kid you not).
The service from the Dive In Staff was excellent. Special
thanks to Chris, Mark, Martin and Hailey for the guided dives
through the wreck (especially the trip through the deepest
section of the upper car deck through the trucks axles and
wagons) and to Enzo for the looking after our cylinders. Air
fills were dealt with promptly and guzzlers even given 18
litre ‘torpedoes’. Nitrox is available and dependant
upon your preferred PPO2 level and target depth, 28%-30% normally
fitted the bill.
Local restaurants provided fish and meat meze, which was
reasonably priced. Early nights were non-existent with the
local brew Keo and the pool table proving more attractive
than bed. We needed to come home for a rest.
By the end of the four days we all agreed that we had pushed
the envelope with regard to our diving experience and confidence
had increased all around. This is trip must be repeated, especially
as Chris is promising to find new routes over the winter.
Many thanks to Martin for doing all the arrangements and introducing
us to an E 111. A blinding trip.
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