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FOR ACCOMMODATION AND LOCATION INFORMATION ON CYPRUS ...CLICK
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Diving in Cyprus
Alpha Divers, 5 Star PADI IDC Centre and BSAC Premier Centre is run by Chris Martin, IDC Chief Instructor and his staff. He has been on the island for many years and is now considered one of the specialists of the Zenobia wreck. He has helped for the latest Discovery Chanel documentary on this awesome wreck. All reviews on Internet give him a 5 star customer and diving service.
He is very proud of his operation and seems to be a sort of rough edged captain, clever guy, knows what he’s doing.
Alpha Divers is the only dive centre operating on its own boat which is a proper ship, not a RIB like the others. The ship has a shaded sun deck and a toilet. The ship is anchored in Lanarca Marina, 5 mns drive away from the dive centre and 10 mns navigation away from the Zen.
Alpha Divers will pick up our guests from the airport with a sign with both logos and bring them to the accommodation. There is no time limit for arrivals, but keeping the flight time reasonable will make everybody happy.
They will receive a quick briefing about the area and the pick up times for the next day. They sometimes organize barbecues and dinning out but not on a regular basis, it depends of the number of guests out there.
Diving in Cyprus
As you all know, the Med has been overfished and marine life is less rich than here and than obviously the Red Sea. But Cyprus has a lot to offer, with caves, tunnels and wrecks where life still hangs on.
The jewel on the crown is the Zenobia wreck. It is considered within the 5 best wrecks in the world and is the one where more penetration dives can be achieved.
The Zen was a roll on roll off ferry carrying around 104 lorries. It sank on its maiden voyage for a yet obscure reason. Legends says it was an insurance scam, others say it was carrying weapons for the Israeli‘s Mossad, there is a lot of stories going around this ship. The fact is the ballast systems started malfunctioning on the 2nd of June and she was towed away from the Lanarca harbour on the 4th of June to be anchored about 2 km offshore to prevent obstructing the harbour if she sank ,which happened on the 5th of June 1980.
As a dive site, the Zenobia provides a wide range of challenges to divers from a fairly simple dive to 16 meters (52 ft) depth along the starboard side of the ship (suitable for newly qualified divers); moving up to a more advanced dive inside the upper car deck; right up to extremely adventurous dives within the lower car deck or the accommodation section (which are only suitable for very experienced divers).
Our Team can sell packages like the Zen 10 Challenge, which could eventually take really experienced divers all the way to the engine room. Bear in mind that only 1% of the 10, 0000 divers that explore the wreck yearly will make it to this point.
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CONTACT US NOW TO TALK TO AN INSTRUCTOR & TRAVEL PLANNER ...GO
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Some Info On Cyprus
Cyprus is an island South of Turkey, West of Syria and North of Lebanon.
  
- It has a rich history starting as 10,000 BC. It holds traces of the first water wells and of the first feline domestication. It’s position in the Middle East made it a target for many powers to invade and control it ( Greek, Egyptians, Persians, Venetians and Ottomans )
- In the Greek mythology, it is believed to be the birth place of Aphrodite and Adonis.
- The Ottomans conquered the island in 1570 and it remained under their control for 3 centuries.
- Placed under British administration in 1878 , it gained its independence in 1960
- In 1974, after an attempted coup by Greek Cypriot Nationalist, Turkey has invaded the island.
- 40% of the northern part of the island is Turkish, the rest is the Republic of Cyprus
- Cyprus is the 3rd largest island in the Med , 250km long, 100km at its widest point.
- Highest point is Mount Olympus, 1,952 m, some snow in winter.
- average temps July/August: min22º max32º, Jan/Feb 8-º17º, Oct-Nov 17º-28º
- Water Temp: July/Aug/Sept: 28º at surface, 24º at 30m! The coldest in Feb is 16º
- Cyprus economy is prosperous and its per capita rate is just above the European average
- Religion in the Republic is Greek Orthodox; in the Turkish part it’s Sunni Islam.
- Food is a mixture of Greek and Turkish influence, mezzes (sort of tapas), fresh fish, pork and chicken are the most common meats, houloumi cheese, and the famous loukoum dessert.
- Lanarca is the town where our guest will go to. The hotels and self catering apartments are situated 10 mns drive from town centre. The vibe is more of a village than a busy town.
- Plenty of bars, restaurants and partying in Lanarca.
- Prices for meals range from 6 to 25€, a good selection of mezzes is 16€.
- Reliable bus service to Lanarca, around 1€, taxi around 10€
- Safe and hassle free island, few mosquitoes.
- Tourist attractions: Tomb of the Kings, Unesco World Heritage
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FOR ACCOMMODATION AND LOCATION INFORMATION ON CYPRUS ...CLICK
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