October means one thing to certain members of the HSAC and that is the annual pilgrimage to Larnaca in Cyprus.
Larnaca? I hear you ask. Why on earth, Larnaca? As oil refineries go I am sure it is quite acceptable but hardly a tourist destination. The cuisine provides sustenance of a sort, the people are generally approachable but you wouldn't leave your children with them.

The bureaucracy and organisation seem to have been modelled on Cairo (without the humour) and all administered by those organisational geniuses the Greeks. So what, you may be thinking, has this part of the world got going for it and why do we endure so much to get there? Well, the best kept secret of southern Cyprus is not to be found in the night clubs of Aya Napa nor the temple of Aphrodite (although I'm sure there are things worth seeing in both) no, the jewel of Larnaca sits a couple of miles offshore in 7 fathoms of water and it's name is Zenobia.

Welcome to the Big Z. Definitely one of the worlds most accessible (unless you fly BA) and fascinating wrecks. She flopped, rather inelegantly, under the waves in June 1980. Since then she has been gracing those divers who visit her with some of the most varied and impressive wreck diving in the world.

Her history and the intrigue over her sinking deserve an article on their own but to give you an idea the rumours range

from computer error and insurance scams to Middle Eastern security forces. One that is currently garnering some credence is the involvement of Ian McMurray, owner of Octopus Diving in Larnaca. Whether Ian did actually pull the plug on Zenobia is debatable but there is no doubt that there is no one who knows the wreck better or who has dived the wreck more.
Ian has been the unofficial custodian of the wreck since its (un)fortunate dunking and has explored almost every inch of the vessel. For this reason our trips are always coordinated through Octopus. If you want the best service and information there is only one man to talk to.

The Exterior of the Zenobia provides the highest quality diving for all diver grades. In the last few years the marine life around the wreck has blossomed with everything from large Grouper and Barracuda to Scorpion and Triggerfish. With the top rail of the wreck lying at about 17 to 18m and extending the 175m of the ship this is an unsurpassed venue for scenic and sports divers in Europe.
As you go a little deeper the water temperature hardly shifts in the late summer from its high of around 27ºC. The wreck now lies on its port side and the hull bulges away below you until you reach the keel line and then from there gives you the dramatic view of the overhanging drop all the way to the sea bed at 42m.
At the stern the huge 11ft diameter starboard propeller sits above its partner on the port side now nestling in the soft bottom 15m below. At the other end the huge bulb of the bow houses the enormous bow thruster propeller and provides a 'slide' over the edge and into the most impressive drop-off to leave you sitting at 42m looking back up at the hull towering over you.
On the other side of the wreck the opportunity for exploration is limitless from the jumble of deck equipment at the bow to the bridge, accommodation, and lifeboats amidships to the lorries strewn over the seabed and the loading ramps at the stern. All you do is select your depth according to preference and Zenobia provides the rest. The sheer scale of the site and her cargo mean any depth will provide a dive for the five star section of the logbook.

The Interior

The exterior of the ship is more than enough to keep most divers interested for a week's holiday. If your experience, training and desire lead you to more challenging places Zenobia can provide it. A word of caution though, in the past this has meant a high price for some.

The passage, for vehicles, through the interior of the ship was managed by a series of ramps that have served to confuse many divers in the past. Although the cavern type diving through the upper lorry deck is generally fairly straightforward (and absolutely unparalleled on other wreck sites), penetration of the lower decks and exploration of all the various exits and entries is only for those with extended experience of the site or for those with the necessary training, equipment and a guide. Line laying techniques are not always appropriate through many of the exits and entries and distances are often too great to allow this without a large amount of line. Some lines do already exist inside some of the decks but not all are complete or easy to find and they are of little use unless you know where they are taking you. In any of the lower decks the average amount of light penetrating is zero. This is to all intents and purposes cave diving in a very large man made cave.

Some of the exits and entries may look passable but a number are not and so to the uninitiated provide false confidence or more seriously false hope when things go wrong. Some areas look inviting but are so seldom visited that they still harbour the lethal ingredients of every wreck divers nightmare; the rust-out, that unseen cloak descending from the ceiling cutting visibility to zero and all contact with the outside world.

These warnings aside the wreck can provide a controlled and progressive initiation to wreck penetration or an ideal expedition site to experienced groups. Again however whoever you are you will gain most from it by enlisting a guide to show you round. If you want to get inside select your guide carefully, a number of the (remarkably few) fatalities have been in the company of people who 'knew the way'. If this has given you a flavour of Zenobia diving and you want to know more visit the Octopus website orcontact us at Hellfins. We'll be back there next year...