Cyprus – Larnaca & Ayia Napa

The south-east coast of Cyprus has some of the best wreck diving in the Mediterranean. Off Larnaca lies the roll-on/roll-off ferry Zenobia, 172 m long on her port side at about 42 m, flanked by the wooden Alexandria and, in the Larnaca Marine Protected Area off Voroklini, the artificial-reef wrecks Elpida and LEF1; farther east are HMS Cricket and the shore sites and caves of Xylofagou and Cape Pyla. Around Ayia Napa and Protaras the wrecks Kyrenia, Liberty and Nemesis III were sunk between 2009 and 2015 to promote diving, and the Jason deCaires Taylor sculpture museum MUSAN lies off Pernera. The Cape Greco coast adds easy shore dives, cave-like swim-throughs and a cliff drop-off. Note: the Lady Thetis and Costandis wrecks are off Limassol, not here, and Lambousa II, sunk in the Larnaca MPA in February 2025, has no published position yet.

Facts

Best season: Diving is possible all year; the tourism board gives water of about 16-27 °C. Warmest and most comfortable from June to November
Water and visibility: Visibility typically 20 m or more at most sites and 15-25 m at the Larnaca wrecks, up to 25 m or more on the Zenobia
Getting there: Fly to Larnaca (LCA); Larnaca, Xylofagou and Protaras/Ayia Napa are all on the same south-east coast and dive centres offer pick-up
Diving permit: No state permit for recreational diving at these sites is mentioned by VisitCyprus, the dive centres or the MPA articles. The Zenobia area and the Larnaca MPA are described as protected, with fishing banned; a 2008 order banning fishing within 500 m of the Zenobia is recorded as repealed in FAOLEX, so check current rules with a local centre
Hazards: The Zenobia is a 42 m wreck with occasional currents; the Xylofagou shore sites lie off a shooting range (bullets on the seabed), so check before diving. Dive Cape Greco and the Larnaca wrecks with a local centre

Season

Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
Acceptable: Apr, May, Dec
Poor: Jan, Feb, Mar
Water temperature: 16–27 °C

VisitCyprus says Cyprus has one of the longest diving seasons in the Mediterranean, with water of about 16-27 °C and an average air temperature of 24 °C. The best/ok/poor month grouping is our own reading of that temperature range; Larnaca centres stay open all year.

Dive sites (23)

Larnaca Bay (Zenobia, Larnaca MPA)

Alexandria Wreck – 18–30 m, intermediate
Elpida Wreck – 10–30 m, intermediate
LEF1 Wreck – 5–13 m, beginner
MS Zenobia – 16–42 m, advanced

Protaras & Cape Greco

Antennas (Kavo Gkreko) – 3–16 m, beginner
Chapel (Agioi Anargyroi) – 1–40 m, intermediate
Cyclopes Caves – 1–45 m, intermediate
Da Costa – 1–11 m, beginner
Green Bay – 1–11 m, beginner
Green Bay Cave – 5–17 m, beginner
Liberty Wreck – 18–27 m, intermediate
Nemesis III Wreck – 18–26 m, intermediate
Octopus Reef – 3–15 m, beginner
Table Top – 10–25 m, intermediate
The Canyon – 5–38 m, intermediate
The Caves (Cape Greco) – 1–12 m, beginner

Larnaca East (Xylofagou–Pyla)

Bullet Point – 3–16 m, beginner
Cape Pyla Reef – 5–18 m, intermediate
HMS Cricket – 18–32 m, advanced
Pyla Pirate Caves – 1–5 m, intermediate
The Nail – 3–17 m, beginner

Ayia Napa

Kyrenia Wreck – 10–23 m, intermediate
MUSAN – Underwater Sculpture Museum – 8–10 m, beginner

Operators (6)

Zenobia Diving Centre – dive centre, Piale Pasa, Larnaca (boats at Larnaca Marina and Mackenzie)
Alpha Divers – dive centre, Pyla Gardens, Dhekelia Road, Larnaca (second centre in Ayia Napa)
Viking Divers – dive centre, Dhekelia Road, Pyla, Larnaca
Poseidon Dive Centre – dive centre, Kavo Greko Avenue, Protaras
Easy Divers Cyprus – dive centre, Leoforos Protara – Kavo Gkreko, Protaras
Taba Diving Centre – dive centre, Pernera, Protaras

Routes (4)

Site positions come from the Cyprus Tourism Organisation's published dive-site list and are for orientation only, never for navigation. Dive with a local centre, respect protected areas and wrecks, and check current rules, NAVTEX notices and firing-range closures.