Cyprus sunken ship zenobia. Diving in cyprus, diving on the zenobia ferry. "Zenobia" for tourists

Often ferry Zenobia- called the Titanic of the Mediterranean. This ferry is truly stunning, 172 meters long and 23 meters wide. In addition, the ship repeated the sad fate of the Titanic - it sank on its maiden voyage.

Zenobia is one of the first most popular dive sites in Cyprus. In addition, it is one of the five most interesting and revered sites among divers on the planet.

A fascinating picture of a huge ship, capsized on board, around which trucks are scattered like toys. A similar picture is impressive already at the first approximation, in addition, there is an opportunity to get into all the interior of the ferry.

History of the ferry Zenobia

Ferry Zenobia”Was built in Sweden in 1979 and was equipped with the first-class technology of its time. After launching in June 1980, he went on his first passage from Syria to Greece. Upon entering the harbor of Larnaca, the ship, for unknown reasons, began to heel to the port side. At the moment, there are several versions of the loss of the ferry. One of the named reasons is called a malfunction in the ship's computer systems, as a result of which the operation of the ballasts of the ferry was disrupted, it received a large list to the port side. Another version is the deliberate flooding of the ferry in order to obtain insurance. I am glad in this whole story that there were no human casualties - the crew managed to evacuate on time.

Later, so that the ferry does not interfere with the movement of ships, it was decided to tow it to a deeper place, where it is now at a depth of 42 meters.

Dive site description

The site is located at a distance of 1500 meters from the coast in the harbor of the city of Larnaca (you can get there by boat in 10 minutes). The length of the ferry is 170 meters, width is 23 meters, draft is 13 meters, displacement is 12 thousand tons, max., Speed is 12.5 knots.

The ferry lies on its port side on the seabed at a depth of 42 meters, the highest point is from the surface at a depth of 16-18 meters. Such a range of depths allows divers of different certification levels to inspect the ferry.

The ferry deck is located almost perpendicular to the ground plane. On the deck, you can see a stunning picture of trucks chained to the deck. The cars are very well preserved, the cargo transported by this transport is perfectly visible - sleeping bags, medicines.

Position of the ferry Zenobia on the seabed

The interior of the ferry is very interesting. There is an opportunity to get onto the captain's bridge, inspect the restaurant (well preserved: coffee machine, dishes, bottles), upper and lower cargo decks, the most daring can get into the engine room. The bottom around the ship is interesting - all kinds of cargo are scattered at a great distance.

For inspection from medium depths, it is recommended to use nitrox mixtures - this will allow you to extend the time spent under water.

The ferry is huge in size, so many divers make a huge number of dives on it, while constantly discovering something new for themselves. The vessel has a large number of rooms, corridors, compartments.

Additional Information

Care must be taken when around trucks hanging from chains on the main deck. Chains will lose their strength over time in seawater and may not support the weight of the vehicle. In addition, any penetration into the inner compartments of the ferry must be carefully planned.

Sunken ships are silent, harsh and secretive. Each ship hides a million stories and human secrets in its holds. Some of them drowned, lost their way or caught in a storm. Others suffered in military campaigns, proudly sinking to the bottom. But there are ships, the death of which seems stupid and ridiculous. The famous ferry "Zenobia" can be attributed to such ships.

History

In 1979, the newest ocean-going cargo ferry, Zenobia, was launched in Sweden. The vessel was designed to transport bulky cargo over long distances. It was equipped with modern navigation and computer equipment. Zenobia was proudly called the flagship of Swiss cargo shipping at the time.

The ferry was equipped with spacious cargo holds, which could easily accommodate more than a hundred trucks and containers with other cargo. The ship's designers also made sure that the crew and truck drivers could comfortably accommodate the ferry. Therefore, in addition to the cargo deck and the captain's bridge, "Zenobia" included a comfortable wardroom, dining room, medical rooms, etc.

The ship was impressive in its scale, and it was predicted a long "working life". But, unfortunately, this was not given to happen. On June 7, 1980, making its first long-distance voyage, the ferry sank off the coast of Cyprus.

The vessel was 178 meters long and 28 meters wide. - 10,500 tons.

Reasons for the crash

Today there are two versions of the Zenobia ferry crash. Officials say the disaster was caused by a failure in the electronic balance sheet management system. The computer was pumping water into the wrong compartment, thereby provoking a fatal lurch.

The unofficial version is more confusing. Eyewitnesses claimed that balance problems arose on the way. To stabilize the ship, the captain had to pump ballast in accordance with the protocol. But in order to save time and fuel, it was decided not to do this. Zenobia reached the port of Larnaca. The crew and passengers were successfully evacuated, no one was injured. After the evacuation, the ship was driven one and a half kilometers from the port and tried to correct the operation of the instruments. But the ship was never saved. He sank two days after arrival.

Today the ferry "Zenobia" remained lying near Larnaca (Cyprus). Its left side is at a depth of 42 meters from the surface of the water, and its right side is at 16 meters.

Sunken cargo

Fortunately, there were no casualties in this shipwreck. But the cargo could not be saved. Along with the sunken Zenobia ferry, 104 trucks with a load were found at the bottom: construction materials, alcohol, children's toys, food, etc. belonged to the captain, and other useful items.

"Zenobia" for tourists

A few years later, the Zenobia ferry (photo above) became a favorite tourist attraction. Both ordinary tourists and professional divers go to the floodplain. Fortunately, the transparency of the Mediterranean Sea allows you to see the object from the surface.

So what are the standard excursions for tourists in Cyprus? Ferry "Zenobia" is included in the standard excursion offer of many travel companies. The excursion itself consists of a boat ride, lunch, and the opportunity to snorkel over the ferry. As a rule, those who have bought such an excursion can see the upper side of the vessel and the millions of bubbles rising up (similar to the photo of the ferry "Zenobia" taken above the water, placed below).

The cost of such an excursion varies from 30 to 70 euros (2-5 thousand rubles) per person. Everything will depend on where the tour is purchased. The best deals can be found directly at the port. Not far from the pier, the counters of tour operators are comfortably located. As a rule, these are direct offers from companies that are distinguished by a lower price and high quality.

Diving on the ferry "Zenobia"

If an ordinary tourist treats the ferry as an ordinary tourist attraction, then for divers "Zenobia" is almost a cult place. Experts put it in the top ten of the best sunken objects in the world. The average cost of one dive on the ferry will cost on average 50 euros (3500 rubles) per person. The price may vary from club to club, but as with traditional excursions, the price is not always equal to the quality.

The difficulty of the dive will depend on the diver's initial qualifications. Beginners will be offered to inspect the ferry around the perimeter. Experienced divers will be able to walk through the decks and holds: thoroughly inspect the wardroom, inspect trucks, look into the captain's cabin.

The most interesting and difficult part of "Zenobia" is the engine room. But now only well-trained professionals who have completed a diving course on sunken objects can get there.

Best time to visit the ferry

From spring to the end of September, Cyprus is traditionally a lot of tourists. Warm sea water makes sightseeing a pleasure for both ordinary tourists and divers. But for adherents of technical diving, it is best to skip this period and come to dive on "Zenobia" in November or December. Tourists and recreational divers will not interfere with a calm view. In addition, the sea from Larnaca is calm, and storms in this place are very rare, even in winter. The average water temperature at the bottom is about 16-19 degrees.

The ferry "Zenobia" amazes tourists with its rugged beauty. Most people who are lucky enough to get to know this object, one way or another, tend to see it again.

On Saturday, December 15, a group of divers will attach Christmas decorations to the Swedish ferry Zenobia that sank in 1980 off the coast of Larnaca. Accessories and toys are made of non-toxic insoluble materials. After Christmas, they will be removed from the ship at a depth of 42 meters. The start of the action is scheduled for 10 am. The divers are going to celebrate its end.

FIRST FLIGHT WITH A SWEDISH FERRY

Recall that the reasons for the crash of "Zenobia" are still the subject of controversy. Built in 1979 in Malmö, the ferry with a displacement of 12 thousand tons made its maiden voyage (from Sweden to Syria) on May 4, 1980. On board "Zenobia" were 108 trucks, as well as equipment and food, intended for sale in the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean.

The Zenobia sailed safely through Gibraltar, made a call at the port of Heraklion in Crete, and then sailed to the Greek port of Piraeus to troubleshoot the ballast water system. After repairs in Piraeus, the ship headed for the Syrian port of Latakia, but it soon became clear that the damage had not been repaired and the Zenobia went to the nearest port - Larnaca.

The ferry's computer balancing system malfunctioned and the Zenobia tilted heavily to the port side. The team of mechanics evened the roll to 5 degrees, after which the captain gave the order to leave the ship. Before that, at the request of the Cypriot authorities, the captain took the Zenobia two miles from the coast. Within three days, the ship sank into the Mediterranean Sea and on June 7, 1980 finally sank under water.

AND YOU RIDED ON A RUSSIAN SUB?

In the 2000s, it was possible to descend to Zenobia - into the greenish-blue chaos of crumpled metal, past the huge blades of aft propellers, frozen forever - on the Russian submarine Sadko, built in 1997 in St. Petersburg at the Rubin design bureau ...

The outlines of a 172-meter monster gradually appeared from the abyss. The sunken ship is overgrown with cotton-like green algae, from which a scattering of frames, ladders and cars protrudes in the emerald twilight. 108 trucks are stacked on their sides, hanging from the deck on chains, scattered along the bottom.

Trucks and refrigerators look like children's toys, chaotically scattered by a capricious owner, and the nose of the Zenobia resembles an alien spaceship. On deck - relative order, unless, of course, you pay attention to the fact that the ship is on the port side.

ONE OF THE WORLD'S BEST UNDERWATER ATTRACTIONS

There is no point in lifting Zenobia. Lying on the bottom, it brings in much more profit. For 38 years, both in winter and in summer, hundreds of scuba divers have been diving to the ferry, many of whom fly to Cyprus just for the Zenobia. The sunken ferry, the passages and corridors of which are woven into an incredible labyrinth - an ideal training ground for improving the skills of scuba divers.

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The Zenobia wreck in Cyprus is an ideal wreck for recreational and technical divers.

The ship sank to the bottom as a result of problems with the on-board ballast control computer. When all measures to bring it to a vertical position were exhausted, it was decided to tow the ship, which was slowly filling with water, away from the coast (about 1.5 km) to the bay, where, without interfering with navigation, after a while it sank. No one was injured during the flooding of the ferry, the crew that remained on board safely went ashore.

For divers, the main advantage of Zenobia is its recreational depth, the presence of a large number of "attractions", and excellent state of preservation!

On the decks of the ferry at the time of the flooding there were, and went with it to the bottom, more than a hundred heavy-duty trucks with cargo remaining on the trailers: electrical appliances, army equipment, LEGO toys, alcohol denatured alcohol, valuable wood, construction equipment, foodstuffs. ..

For a detailed examination of all the elements of the ship, we recommend that divers use nitrox mixtures, increasing the exposure time at depth.

The ferry is on the port side. The minimum depth (on the starboard side) is 16.5 meters. Maximum depth (port side) - 42 meters.

Title: Zenobia
Builder: Kockums Varv AB, Sweden
Built: 1979
Type: Challenger-class "roll-on / roll-off ferry"
Length: 172 m (584 ft)
Beam: 28 m (92 ft)
Sank: June 7th 1980

Our 12 main diving routes in Zenobia are just the tip of the iceberg!

Tentative - propellers, trucks outside, lifeboats. Kissing trucks, chicken eggs at the bottom.
Anchor, penetration into the cafeteria and cockpit.
Penetration into the first deck through a large entrance, a truck with bones (the refrigerator was carrying beef), exit through a small window, or through an elevator shaft.
Penetration into the cabins of the company, air pocket, exit by stairs at the boats or through the cafeteria.
Penetration into the second hold, trucks, sleeping bags, down jackets, timber and a forklift for a snack.
Penetration into the second hold is an opportunity to see the only Zhiguli car of the first model, a "kopeck", according to one of the versions, the car belonged to the captain.
Penetration into the compartment for the anchor chain, exit to 36 m, penetration into the wheelhouse and from the rubble and further into the laundry.
Penetration into the first-aid post, the opportunity to see a picture with birches (!), Telephone, exit to 30 m through the officer's wardroom.
Penetration into the engine room, overhead environment 40 m, "tour" in the engine room. Exit through the first hold. Decompression dive.
Penetration into the engine room. Exit through the second hold. Decompression dive.
Penetration into the second hold. "Tour" of the second hold. Exit through ventilation pipes, or through the compartment with the largest air pocket on the rack. Decompression dive.
Penetration into the ‘control room’.

Either by submarine or scuba divers, you are sure to get on Zenobia Ferry:
location: 10 minutes by boat from Larnaca harbor
registration number: 7806087
built: in 1979, by Kockums, Sweden
total length: 172.02 meters
width: 23.04 meters
draft: 13.01 meters
displacement: 12,000 tons
maximum speed: 21.5 knots

Zenobia is often referred to as the Titanic of the Mediterranean, both because of its size and because, like the Titanic, it sank on its maiden voyage.

The absolute leader among all dive sites in Cyprus, Zenobia is also one of the four most revered underwater sites by divers around the world. The spectacle of a 172-meter giant tipped over on its side, around which multi-ton trucks are scattered like children's toys, is impressive already at the first approach, and the ability to penetrate all the compartments, interiors and mysterious passages of the ship makes the hearts of more than one diver beat faster.

The state-of-the-art Swedish cargo ferry Zenobia, fresh off the shipyard, embarked on its maiden voyage from Syria to Greece in June 1980. On board and in the holds of the vessel were about a hundred 40-ton truck-road trains with cargo. It is not known for what reason, upon entering the harbor of Larnaca, the ship began to heel to the port side. There are different versions of the reasons for Zenobia's death, including malfunctions in the ship's computer system, deliberate sabotage in order to obtain insurance, and they do not exclude the involvement of the Middle East security services in the catastrophe. Nevertheless, the experts call the most probable reason a malfunction in the computer's balancing system of the ship, as a result of which it got a roll and went to the bottom along with all its cargo. Fortunately, not a single person was killed, since the crew had been evacuated by that time.

To prevent the ferry from blocking the port water area, it was towed one and a half kilometers from the coast, where it now rests. In clear weather, the dark silhouette of Zenobia, protruding through the water column, can be seen even from the plane.

The ferry laid down on the left side to the bottom to a depth of 42 meters, the starboard side does not reach the surface of 16-18 meters, allowing divers of various levels to inspect. The deck of the ship stands almost vertical to the seabed, with some of the trucks still chained to it, making it an unforgettable sight. Trucks are well preserved, in the cabins of some of them you can even sit, in some of them the cargo is well preserved: sleeping bags, medical ampoules, and so on.

To inspect the ferry, starting from medium depths, it is better to use nitrox mixtures, which allow you to prolong your stay under water. For technically trained divers, the most interesting are the inner compartments of Zenobia, and the most daring ones risk penetrating even into the heart of the ship - the engine room. It is interesting to see the restaurant hall, where coffee machines, various dishes, bottles of beer and Coca-Cola have been preserved, as well as the cargo deck (upper and lower) and the bottom around the ship, where the most varied cargo is scattered. It is also possible to enter the captain's bridge, navigation and radio rooms.

The ship is so large and has so many passages, corridors, and compartments that every new dive is unlike the previous one. Divers dive there over and over again, honing their technical skills: the spectacle of a large-scale catastrophe, the victory of the elements over the creation of human hands is always fascinating.
Deck "Zenobia"

Risk: Stay away from 40-ton trucks hanging from chains, as the chains will gradually lose strength. Any penetration into the ship requires the greatest care and must be carefully planned.

Marine life: schools of barracuda, yellowtail and grouper. Dolphins are sometimes seen

Best time to dive: May to October, but in principle the ferry is available any time of the year.

Maximum immersion depth: 42 meters

Visibility: 35 meters

Water temperature:
January - 17.7
February - 16.6
March - 16.4
April - 17.6
May - 19.2
June - 23
July - 25.5
August - 25.5
September - 28.8
October - 24.2
November - 22
December - 19.5

Certification requirements: starting from Advanced Open Water Diver with at least 30 dives. Corresponding depth limits are set for different certification levels.

Only IANTD Advanced Nitrox / TDI Deco Procedures level divers with the appropriate equipment, experience and certification level are allowed to decompression dives.

The Wealth of Larnaka's Underwater World
By Nana Asmeni Pavlou (Senior Officer, Larnaka Regional Tourism Body)
Diving in larnaka

With the beautiful Mediterranean sea surrounding its coast, Larnaka is an ideal diving destination for both beginner and experienced scuba divers.

The climate is good all year round, the water temperature is high, there are no strong currents and the sea is very safe.

Apart from its tranquil and clear waters, Larnaka has some unusual and quite surprising treasures for adventure seekers.

The sunken wrecks of HMS Cricket, a British helicopter, and the magnificent aweinspiring site of the Zenobia ferry are sights to behold.

Additionally, other diving sites to explore include the enigmatic "Octopus Reef" and the "Sheep Dip", the meaning of which will reveal itself to visiting adventurers.

The Zenobia - one of the top 10 wreck dive sites worldwide

The Zenobia, a Swedish roll-on-roll-off ferry, was fully loaded with 104 trailers and trucks when she sunk on her maiden voyage to Cyprus in June 1980, off Larnaka’s fishing harbor.

The wreck of The Zenobia is now lying on her port side at 42 meters, 1.5 kms from the shore.

The sea bed in at a depth on 42m and the top of the wreck is 16m below the water surface.

The water visibility is up to 50m, with the temperature ranging from 16o C in the winter to 27o C in summer.

The Zenobia wreck has now become a protected artificial reef, with many species of fish making it their home, including Dusky and Striped Groupers, Sea Bass, Amberjacks, Barracuda, Parrotfish, a variety of Bream and Wrasse, to name but a few.

In fact, the marine life in and around the wreck is unique, and the dive site is currently rated amongst the top ten wreck dive sites of the world.

The Zenobia wreck dive is an absolute must, for all serious divers, visiting Cyprus.

A luxury photographic tribute to the Zenobia ferry wreck has just been produced by the Larnaka Regional Tourism Body with the winning photographs of an underwater photo competition and is available for a limited time only.

The book is a visually stunning time capsule of this world famous undersea paradise and is a must for serious divers.

For more information, or to obtain a copy, please contact the Larnaka Regional Tourism Body (Tel: 00357 24657070).