Diving in Cyprus, from the Zenobia to Larnaca's artificial reefs

This guide isn’t about what it feels like underwater, it’s about what the tourism boards publish and how I’d organise a trip. And what they publish is fascinating, because Cyprus has one of the world’s best-known wrecks and a marine reserve created specifically for divers.

The Zenobia

The Larnaka Tourism Board ranks her among the ten best wreck dives in the world. She was a Swedish roll-on roll-off ferry that sank in 1980 on her maiden voyage, hence the nickname Titanic of the Mediterranean. She lies on her port side on a bed of sand and rock, and much of the ship and cargo remains intact. She carried 108 articulated lorries loaded with cars, military equipment, games, food and telecommunications systems, and some of her million eggs are still whole underwater. The board gives her a length of 165 metres. You need Advanced Open Water, and around her you can see groupers, barracudas, moray eels, stingrays, turtles and octopus.

The Voroklini marine reserve

Off Voroklini, the board has created a marine protected area with deliberately sunk ships. The Elpida, a 63-metre cargo ship built in Germany in 1965, went down in December 2019 as the region’s first artificial reef and needs Advanced Open Water. The LEF1, 15.5 metres long and built in 1955, was sunk the same month and is the island’s only artificial reef designed for snorkellers. In February 2025 the Lambousa II joined them, a 23-metre tug from 1995. There are also named natural reefs, such as Dorida, 500 metres offshore, or Alia, between Kastella and Mackenzie beaches, with Posidonia meadows and even pearl oysters.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Larnaca before prices climb.

Limassol and Paphos

At Akrotiri, Limassol Tourism describes the Three Stars, a ship that caught fire, ran aground in 1972 and now lies half underwater at around 7 metres. With good visibility and a safe entry, Open Water is enough. For snorkelling from the shore, the board suggests the white rocks of Governor’s Beach and the formations at Agios Georgios Alamanou, and the Paphos tourism website the rocks around Coral Bay.

Safety and insurance

Gov.uk advises travel insurance that names diving explicitly, checking the exclusions, using only licensed and insured operators and never handing over your passport as a guarantee for equipment. The Larnaka board adds that diving is strictly regulated and that official dive schools are listed by the Cyprus Dive Centre Association.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Larnaca and choose by the reviews.

Planning the trip

I’d stay in Larnaca and spend one day on the Zenobia and another at Voroklini. If you’re travelling with non-divers, the Cyprus beaches and water sports in Cyprus will keep the others busy, and the nature parks in Cyprus cover the green side of the trip. You can dive in the east too, at the Cyclops Cave, the Ayia Napa sea caves and off Protaras, where the Liberty wreck lies.

A car frees you from timetables: search car hire in Larnaca on DiscoverCars and compare companies.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Larnaca before prices climb.