Castaways Sub-Aqua Club
	A Branch (Branch No 2071) of The British Sub-Aqua Club

Fish and Bananas

Cyprus

December 1998

Time and Place: A cold wet December evening 1998, Heathrow Airport, UK

Two intrepid travellers (and a grandmother) set out on a trip of a lifetime, to attempt to dive in some of the most exciting and dangerous dive sites known to man....

After a five minute delay (because they were digging up the runway!) the wheels of the Boeing 767 screeched noisily to a halt. There was apprehension in the air as the three wondered what the weather would be like and whether their driver (Andrew’s brother) would be there to meet them.

The next morning with sun streaming through the curtains, it was time to check out the water temperature and local marine life..........yes we had arrived in Cyprus!!!

The first day of diving with a local dive school was an experience!! Four Brits and two divemasters kitted up in the shop in Limmasol, walked down the beach to the boat moored there and headed for the first dive, the wreck of a cargo ship, the Farsis II, lying at approximately 20m, which had sunk in 1983 carrying a cargo of asbestos!! The viz was good (about 15m) and only one thing worried us slightly... both divemasters were in the water with us. Who was handling the boat? With just an A-flag to protect us we navigated the wreck, disappointed in that there was very little marine life.

The second dive of the day was very sneaky....the divemaster took us to the RAF BSAC dive schools training ground, in the warm shallow waters off Akrotiri. With bunches of bananas in our grasp we descended to 6m, to be welcomed by lovely clear water and lots of hungry fish!! The fish (although we haven’t identified them!) were silver with a black spot on their dorsal fin, and they were eating out of our hands!! A few small wrasse also had a nibble and as we swam towards a sunken army helicopter and fire engine they followed us, in the hope of more bananas.

Amy and fish friends.

Amy on the fire engine.

After the experience with the local dive school we considered some serious wreck diving... the most famous in these waters... the Zenobia. To attempt this wreck we need to talk to some serious BSAC divers.. the RAF dive school on the base!

The diving officer said no problem, of course you can dive with us, but you’ll need a computer (because of the profiles).. so I decided that it was about time I had one, and went out to negotiate a price in the streets of Cyprus! Coming back happy and laden with a gleaming new computer, this was the chance to try it out!!

After a early morning drive to Larnaca, we pulled up at the marina to find our boat, a pleasure craft which provided more than ample space for 10 divers!

After a thorough debriefing, Andrew and I were to dive with Charlie, who had dived the wreck numerous times before. We descended down the shot to the deck of the ship lying at 17m, and what a ship it was! The Zenobia, a roll-on roll-off ferry sunk on its maiden voyage in the 1980s [thought to be an insurance job!] with all its cargo of lorries on board!

Two dives on the Zenobia weren’t enough. Swimming in through one of the cargo decks with crushed lorries beneath us, in the darkness we saw the small glimmer of blue light in the distance. Swimming further through, the darkness enveloped us and the doorway can into sight!! Great! As we approached the exit a school of jacks and barracuda turning away from us! Small wrasse nibbled on the sides of the ship and turning the corner we saw the full expanse of the ship. Lying on its starboard side, in approximately 45m, the ship was massive, with the bow of the ship and bridge in view and us three small divers minute against it. Swimming into the restaurant with the tables screwed down to the floor and the tartan carpet still in good condition, it was hard to imagine that this ship didn’t get very far, just out of the harbour before she sunk!

The photo shows the surface from 20m on the Zenobia.

Overall, there was fewer marine life than we imagined but we would definitely go back for another cheap holiday and some more diving in Cyprus.

Amy Chillingworth