I-dive - Dive with us - Everything about the Zenobia

Despite her value, no attempt has ever been made to salvage any part of the ship. As a shipwreck of such size and quality, she is also able to offer the complete range of Dives from advanced open water - to serious technical and penetration Diving. The fact that she is one her side, however, should not be dismissed and even the experienced Diver may become disorientated. Sadly, there have been at least two deaths on this wreck in addition to one or two near misses. The Zenobia is, therefore, a very serious Dive for very serious Divers. With the right Diving Guide, the right level of experience - and the right attitude, a visit to this shipwreck can be the most rewarding and exciting experience - but do be warned.

Reviews:

What a wreck!

I dived the Zenobia four times for about an hour each and only saw a fraction of this magnificent wreck. Thanks to a no removal rule, the wreck is greatly intact and filed with items. I descended the shot line to about 16 m and decided which way to go. The propellers are intact and lead to the seabed at 42 metres where you can find the egg lorry and its cargo. Please watch your buoyancy as divers have unfortunately crushed a number of these.

Above & below: The cavernous main freight deck on the Zenobia as it was when the ship was completed in 1979. Designed to carry ISO containers on low-loaders this was rather greater than the height required for the standard freight traffic the Sealink pair would transport after their conversion. Thus, as the picture below on the Alkmini A (ex-Fantasia) demonstrates, the height was reduced by cutting free and then lowering the entire upper vehicle deck, eliminating the unwanted excess height and allowing the construction of the new Deck 3, the main passenger deck, in the space saved. Although the ships became drive-through on both vehicle decks, the internal ramp was retained for the flexibility it offered for potential future use at ports without twin level loading facilities.

The aft truck passage is a great swim through, almost 100m long and clear with exits at the end. Check your air if you want to do the whole route as there are no exits apart from right at the end. Watch out for the oil at the larger entrance. The bridge is quite bare but there is a lift shaft to go through. The canteen and accommodation deck is quite good, but watch out for loose wires and keep your orientation or stay close to your guide.

  Wrecks can be similar to that of the world’s most pristine coral reefs.

There is plenty of sea life and the barracuda are good. Also, if you are lucky, keep an eye out for the tourist submarine that tours the wreck, as it will have divers feeding the fish so is a good show. The winch gear at the front is worth a look and so are the lifeboats. Be wary as there is a lot to see and you may drift deep. Plan this dive as to where you will want to go and it easily takes a few dives to view this wreck. Nitrox is pricey in local shop so plan ahead and give as a call so we can accomodate you and prepare the required blend specifically for your needs.

Plenty to see and enjoy on one of the best wrecks under the sea.

Ousmon Sadique, BSAC Dive Leader

'The Zen is a great dive, loads of fish follow you throughout the dive. You can access the bridge and the anchor room but I enjoyed being outside sitting in the lifeboats. The best thing about this dive was the visibility - truly amazing. I could see the wreck clearly from the dive boat on the surface'.

Chris Winfield, PADI Advanced Openwater

ZENOBIA WRECK DIVE EXCURSION

At I Dive Tec Rec Centers Plc, we operate regular weekly diving excursions to the Zenobia wreck dive site.  We will pick you up from your hotel/apartment in the protaras area or arrange private transportation from your location, and take you by road to Larnaca Port where we will board the Zenobia Queen, which will take us out to the Zenobia wreck dive site in just 15 minutes.  Once there, you will enjoy two guided dives, after which we will sit down to a buffet lunch, before returning to port, and eventually back to your hotel. Any non-divers in your party may wish to join us on this excursion, and enjoy a relaxing snorkel above the dive site, before meeting up with us, the divers, for the buffet lunch.  Contact us at info@idive.com.cy for advance bookings on one of the World's best wrecks.

TESTIMONIALS

The Zenobia left Malmo in Sweden on 4 May 1980, on her maiden voyage to Syria. She initially developed problems with her computer-controlled water stabilising system mid-way between Crete and Athens. A check discovered that the pumps controlling the water ballast system had put too much water into the ballast tanks. After four days in Piraeus, the water was pumped out and it was thought the problem was solved. However, on 3 June while anchored in Larnaca Bay in Cyprus, the problem returned. On 4 June she was sloping to a 45-degree angle, the operational problems of carrying out a repair became impossible and the ship had to be abandoned. The captain's pleas to run her aground in shallower water were ignored. It took two days for the Zenobia to eventually sink with more than £200 million worth of vehicles and cargo lost.

Descending onto the Zenobia is an eerie experience. Cloaked in algae and seaweed, the wreck seems painted almost in one colour. As your eyes adjust to the dark, shady objects on the sea bottom and round the lower areas of the wreck, you realise you are looking at complete lorries resting where they toppled sideways as the wreck sank. Until recently a few still hung from the chains that secured them to the ship's deck, but the chains have now rusted through and most of the lorries have slid about as far as they can towards the sea bottom.

Most divers can dive this wreck although it's best to have some experience. The top of the wreck is in just 16m and there is almost no current to be concerned with. The bridge, cafιteria and lifeboat deck are all very accessible and can be visited without dropping below 30m.

Although no one died when the ship sank, several divers have since lost their lives - losing their way inside the deeper sections of the wreck. One diver found an air pocket and remained there for two hours before rescuers found her.

 

If you are counting lorries on the outside of the wreck, you won't reach much more than 20 - most remain inside the upper and lower lorry decks. The lower lorry deck is definitely for experienced divers only, and you will need a guide as it involves a 40m dive in the dark with no visible means of exit. As well as lots of lorries, a bright yellow digger and a solitary car can be seen on this level.

The upper deck is relatively safe to explore. Some light filters through from a small exit hatch, so you feel relatively safe despite being in darkness for most of the time. If you shine your light above as you swim through, you'll notice some of the cargo from one of the trailers - bottles of ethyl alcohol have spilled out and now float seemingly in mid-air. To enjoy the full impact of the wreck, you need to make at least one sortie to the sea floor. Here, you can swim alongside most of the accessible lorries, and you can see the thousands of eggs which spilled out from one of the trailers and now lie on top of each other! You may also come across air-conditioning units, close to the back of one of the trailers.

In summer, amberjack, tuna, and barracuda cruise around the wreck, often joined by a yellow submarine full of waving tourists. Throughout the year dusky and golden grouper hang out here, safe from spearfishermen. There are also large shoals of bream, little rainbow wrasse, scorpionfish and nudibranchs.

The Zenobia is a classic wreck dive and you could spend a whole week just diving this site.

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READERS VERDICT

Mike Austin

 

         

  

  

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