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Overview
172-metre Swedish-built Ro-Ro ferry that capsized in Larnaca Bay on her maiden voyage in June 1980 after a software fault flooded the port ballast tanks. She came to rest on her port side in 42 m of water roughly 1.5 km offshore and has since become the Mediterranean's signature wreck. The starboard hull breaks the thermocline at 16 m, the wheelhouse and bridge sit around 18–22 m, and the cargo decks open at 28–36 m with 104 articulated trucks still chained inside, hanging at impossible angles. The propellers and rudder at the stern reach the full 42 m. Resident grouper, barracuda schools, and a long-standing moray live in the structure; permit-only penetrations of the upper car deck and engine room are run by Larnaca operators for trained wreck divers.
Briefing note
Penetration of the cargo decks, engine room, and accommodation block is for certified wreck/tech divers only and must be booked with a local operator — entanglement risk inside is high. The Zenobia is a protected wreck under Cypriot law; removing artefacts is prohibited. Surface conditions are usually calm but afternoon meltemi winds can chop the bay in summer — morning slots are more reliable.
What you'll see
6 species curated- year-roundDusky grouper
- year-roundEuropean barracuda
- year-roundMoray eel
- seasonalCommon stingrayPeak: May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct
- year-roundTompot blenny
- rareGreen turtle
Sightings evidence
1 record on file- high confidenceDusky grouper
- Last confirmed
- May 2026
- Recent records
- 130 within 10 km
Sources & methodology
How we summarise this
We aggregate confirmed occurrence records from GBIF and OBIS within a fixed radius of each dive site. Occurrence records confirm presence and reveal seasonality clustering, but they DO NOT measure per-dive probability — there is no eligible-effort denominator. We deliberately do not publish a numeric '% chance of sighting' from this data.
Sources
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility — GBIF Secretariat
- Ocean Biodiversity Information System — IOC-UNESCO
- OBIS-SEAMAP — Duke University Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab / OBIS
- iNaturalist — California Academy of Sciences & National Geographic Society
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature
- WoRMS — World Register of Marine Species — Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)
- FishBase — FishBase Consortium
- Atlas of Living Australia — CSIRO / GBIF Australia
- REEF Volunteer Fish Survey — Reef Environmental Education Foundation
The wreck
Ship history- No formal protection
Ferry · Sweden
MS Zenobia
- Built
- 1979
- Sunk
- Jun 7, 1980
- Length
- 178 m
- Tonnage
- 10,638
- Diveable depth
- 16–42 m
- How she sank
- Accident
Roll-on/roll-off ferry on her maiden voyage that listed and capsized in Larnaca Bay after a ballast computer malfunction. Sits on her port side with 104 lorries still chained on the cargo decks.
Notable features
- 104 articulated lorries on the cargo deck
- captain's cabin
- kitchen with crockery
- open cargo doors
Vessel histories sourced from the Naval History and Heritage Command (DANFS), NOAA ENC Direct, and editorial research. Bathymetry per GEBCO. See the methodology for limits.
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16–18 °C | 20–30 m | mild |
| Feb | 16–17 °C | 20–30 m | mild |
| Mar | 16–18 °C | 20–30 m | mild |
| Apr | 17–20 °C | 25–35 m | mild |
| May | 20–22 °C | 25–35 m | mild |
| Jun | 22–25 °C | 25–40 m | mild |
| Jul | 25–27 °C | 25–40 m | mild |
| Aug | 26–28 °C | 25–40 m | mild |
| Sep | 25–27 °C | 25–40 m | mild |
| Oct | 22–25 °C | 25–35 m | mild |
| Nov | 20–22 °C | 20–30 m | mild |
| Dec | 17–20 °C | 20–30 m | mild |
Season calendar
Peak season highlighted · current month outlined
Gear for this site
Beyond the basic kit- Nitrox 32 — Most of the dive is spent between 18 and 30 m. EAN32 buys 10–15 minutes of extra no-deco time without changing the profile.
- Primary torch — Even outside penetrations, the upper car deck and bridge openings are dark cavities full of suspended trucks and silt — a torch turns them from outlines into a scene.
Next step
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