The Peyia sea caves and the Edro III

The sea caves at Peyia turn up in every photo album from western Cyprus, and with a twist, because besides the rock there’s a ship. A rusting cargo vessel has been wedged against the shore for years. Here’s what’s there, what happened to the ship and how to get there. The village they belong to is covered in Peyia.

A coastline eaten by the sea

Akamas Municipality describes a rocky stretch of coast where the sea has bored into the stone over thousands of years, leaving rock corridors, grottoes, scattered islets and cliffs that reach about 20 m in places. It adds that seals occasionally rest in the caves. According to OpenStreetMap, the caves viewpoint is about 5 km north of Coral Bay as the crow flies, on the way to Agios Georgios.

Geology explains it. The council notes that the Akamas coast is made of calcareous sandstone formed over the last 100,000 years, with raised marine terraces marking old shorelines, and that this mix has produced bays, dunes, cliffs and caves.

What happened to the Edro III?

The Edro III is an 83 m cargo ship that was carrying grain. At 06:10 on 8 December 2011 it sent out an alert reporting mechanical trouble. In that day’s storm it lost steering and ended up wedged on a reef by the rocks at the caves, with no casualties. An insurer tried to shift and tow it, without success, and the captain stayed aboard until its fate was decided.

It’s still there. Next to the wreck there’s a café-restaurant and benches facing the sea, and I like it best late in the afternoon, with the ship backlit.

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Diving at the caves

For divers, Akamas Municipality calls the caves one of the region’s finest sites, reachable from the shore or by boat, with depths of 12 to 36 m, crevices and small coves you can walk into. The Edro III is a separate dive, fine for beginners and experienced divers alike, with two anchor chains turned into mini-ecosystems and two reefs. I’d always go with a local dive centre.

What I haven’t found is any official rule on jumping from the rocks, so I wouldn’t recommend it.

Getting there

By car, follow the coast road from Coral Bay towards Agios Georgios, as the caves are visible from the road itself. Without a car, Pafos Buses route 616b leaves Coral Bay for the sea caves and Agios Georgios 17 times a day between 06:35 and 22:55, returning from Agios Georgios between 06:55 and 23:15. A single is €2.

Carry on north and you reach the harbour and basilicas of Agios Georgios at Peyia, where the Akamas peninsula begins.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Sea caves, Peyia and pick one that fits your day.

Where the bus does not go, a car does: compare car hire in Paphos before you arrive rather than at the desk.

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