Explore the Zenobia Wreck
172 metres long, The Zenobia Wreck is rated as one of the top ten wreck dives worldwide. The extensive ship was a Swedish built roll-on roll-off ferry that capsized on her maiden voyage from Sweden to Syria in 1980. After encountering a fault and sending a distress call to Cyprus, the Zenobia eventually sank opposite Lanarca’s old fishing harbour, where it now rests for divers to enjoy.
Weighing 10,000 tonnes, The Zenobia lies 42 metres deep with her shallowest point at 16 metres. Zenobia Wreck diving is accessible to everyone, from those who are doing their first wreck dive to the most experienced technical divers. Affectionately known as ‘The Zen’, divers descend onto the wreck to view 104 lorries, propellers, engine room, and so much more. Spend all week diving here and there would still be more to see!
Scuba diving the Zenobia Wreck is possible from a number of dive centres and dive resorts along Cyprus’ southern coastline and within the Larnaca region. If you want to see more excellent Cyprian dive locations, hop on visiting liveaboards.
Dive Activity
Diving at the Zenobia Wreck
While scuba diving the Zenobia, technical divers can wreck dive as far as 42 metres. For those who have already gained their deep and technical diving certifications, many penetration dives reach deeper into the bowels and decks of the wreck, from the Captain quarters, launderette to the engine room. The 3 lorry decks are full of cargo, with 104 lorries chained to the decks.
Those who intend to do their wreck speciality dive courses can venture around the Zenobia where there is plenty to see. The outside of the wreck has two huge propellers, lorries which are now outside, funnels, bridge, cafeteria, the bow area and the accommodation. With open areas with lots of ambient light, the easier penetration dives are open to most divers, who can marvel at this historic beauty. If you prefer to spend your whole holiday out at sea and want to see the Zenobia Wreck, Cyprian liveaboards will make sure you get the most out of the experience.
Top Wildlife Sightings at the Zenobia Wreck
Since capsizing in 1980, the Zenobia Wreck has become a thriving artificial reef. Unique to the Zenobia Wreck,
nowhere else in Cyprus can you see dusky and striped grouper, barracuda, tuna, turtle, and triggerfish all at the same site. Sea bass, amberjacks, parrotfish and a wide variety of bream and wrasse also have made the incredible wreck their home, which has since become encrusted with a vast array of coral. Within the coral, a number of macro critters thrive, from nudibranch to sea stars.
Surrounding the wreck is even more marine life, with sea cucumbers resting on the sandy flats, squid pulsing by, and fireworms. Jellies may also pulse through the water, such as venus girdles and comb jellyfish, while if you are very lucky, you may even spot a pod of dolphins coming by to assess the wreck.
Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 27
iStock-Global_Pics
231 Sightings
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12
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0
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6
A
35
M
17
J
27
J
33
A
50
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19
O
18
N
14
D
0
Shutterstock-Shane Myers Photography
Green Turtle
205 Sightings
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0
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0
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0
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0
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0
J
25
J
38
A
37
S
40
O
51
N
14
D
0
iStock-ShaneGross
Loggerhead Turtle
98 Sightings
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0
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0
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0
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
20
A
24
S
22
O
32
N
0
D
0
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 200
Alamy-WaterFrame
Moray Eel
56 Sightings
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0
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0
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0
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0
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0
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0
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10
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30
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0
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16
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0
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0
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 250
Shutterstock-Henry_and_Laura_Whittaker
Grouper/Basslets
1k Sightings
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10
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0
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15
A
67
M
62
J
83
J
162
A
191
S
179
O
165
N
82
D
17
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 12
iStock/cinoby
Lionfish
850 Sightings
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24
F
10
M
9
A
49
M
43
J
58
J
142
A
153
S
141
O
139
N
70
D
12
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 40
iStock-Hoatzinexp
Jackfish
82 Sightings
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9
F
0
M
0
A
11
M
0
J
0
J
22
A
30
S
10
O
0
N
0
D
0
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 100
iStock-burnsboxco
Parrotfish
74 Sightings
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0
F
0
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
13
A
27
S
20
O
14
N
0
D
0
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 40
iStock-wrangel
Triggerfish
52 Sightings
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0
F
0
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0
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
18
S
14
O
20
N
0
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0
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 350
Alamy-Andre Seal
Damselfish
52 Sightings
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0
F
0
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
12
A
21
S
19
O
0
N
0
D
0
The best Months to Dive at the Zenobia Wreck
Scuba diving the Zenobia Wreck is good year-round, with few currents enabling even novice divers to descend down onto the wreck. The best time to dive the Zenobia is from March to October, where you will find warm, clear blue water and calm seas. While winter can experience some storms, Cyprus still remains one of the best places to dive within the Mediterranean.
Cyprus has less than 10 days of rain on average and visibility stretches from 20 to 35 metres in the crystal clear seas. Out of season, the aforementioned winter storms can drop visibility to only a few metres but this is very rare. The water temperatures range from 16°C-27℃ from March to October, where outside the season the waters are slightly cooler.
